Mozambique’s Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) airline is mobilising freighters in the international market to respond to business opportunities in the transport of high-end agricultural products.
The move was recently announced in Maputo by director-general João Pó Jorge during a visit by the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission (CPO) within the scope of the latter’s state business sector oversight and supervision mandate.
In this case, the flagship airline will, in the coming days, transport litchi produced in Manica province to France, and business opportunities are also opening up in the transport of other types of cargo.
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According to Jorge, the freighters being mobilised will not only be used for agricultural produce, but also for material for multinationals investing in natural gas exploitation in Cabo Delgado province.
“We are thinking of sending freighters for agricultural products, especially litchis from Manica to France. But it all depends on the market’s ability to buy this product, which is quite valuable in Mozambique,” he said.
According to Pó Jorge, LAM expects to end the year with a fleet of nine aircraft, projected to increase to a total of 21 by 2030.
He also explained that the Covid-19 pandemic had drastically reduced the company’s domestic and regional freight activity.
“We are working to rationalise our fleets, choosing aircraft that satisfy the purposes and not having a variety that is difficult to manage in terms of human resources and in line with the products to offer to the market,” Pó Jorge stressed.
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Regarding passenger transport, the LAM director general revealed that the company intended expanding its network to more destinations, having already started flights to Harare, and was now considering the possibility of including Lusaka in Zambia and to more cities in South Africa.
The company will prioritise the use of its own equipment, but fleet limitations meant it would also from time to time source capacity from other operators, especially in South Africa.
Po Jorge also asserted that LAM was attentive to local content laws, and was eager to take advantage of business opportunities inherent in large investment projects.
