Page 36 - Logistics News August 2016

news
Comair celebrating
70 years of profitable
operation
COMAIR LIMITED is marking 70 years of
uninterrupted, profitable operation amid slowed
economic growth as well as declining investment and
consumer spending. The company is also in the midst
of a R10-bn fleet upgrade. Comair has evolved into a
JSE-listed regional airline and travel business serving
over 5,5-mn customers a year. It’s SA’s longest-
operating airline after the national carrier. It’s also
believed to be the only airline in the world to have
recorded a profit in every year of its operation.
Comair CEO Erik Venter says: “Airlines aren’t an
easy business and the recipe for long-term success
demands innovation, leadership and a commitment to
service. An essential ingredient has been on building
strong, lasting partnerships, such as our franchise
agreement with British Airways Plc., established 20
years ago. It also requires innovation, for example,
that of southern Africa’s first low-fares airline and one
of SA’s biggest online retailers, kulula.com, launched
by Comair in 2001.”
Comair is investing R10-bn to replace its current
fleet of 737-300 and 737-400 aircraft and recently
took delivery of its seventh new Boeing 737-800
Next Generation aircraft, as part of the airline’s
ongoing fleet upgrade. The arrival of the eighth and
final aircraft of this particular order is scheduled for
delivery in November 2016.
In 2014, Comair announced an order for eight
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled
for delivery from 2019 through 2021 and will result
in Comair operating SA’s newest and most modern
and efficient fleet. The new aircraft are fitted with
Sabre Airline Solutions technology, which significantly
reduce fuel consumption. •
34 August 2016 | Logistics News
Amazon to
launch ‘Uber for
deliveries’ in UK
AMAZON IS taking the sharing economy
to the next level, recruiting amateur
drivers to deliver packages for the global
online retailer. Amazon Flex, which was
piloted in Seattle, USA, is expanding to
the UK, offering drivers an hourly rate
to work in areas of their own choosing.
The estimated rate includes tips and
could vary depending on how long the
deliveries take. Drivers use a smartphone
app to choose where and when they
want to work, and to give them directions
to customers’ homes; customers can
track their orders.
The new arrangement is part of the
same-day service offered to Prime
Now customers, which includes 15 000
products that can be delivered within the
hour.
E-commerce delivery experts have
said the move would transform home
deliveries. “By launching its new crowd-
sourced driver scheme in the UK Amazon
steals a march on Uber, who has been
slow to get its UberRush ‘Uber for things’
delivery service off the ground in the
UK,” said ParcelHero’s head of public
relations, David Jinks. “Turning its local
customers into delivery drivers means
Amazon can give even more delivery
choices to shoppers while slashing its
own logistics overheads.” •