South African Airways Cargo (SAA Cargo) is extending the reach of Cargo 2000's program to improve the quality of air cargo in Africa.

The airline is the third African business to join Cargo 2000 and the 29th carrier to make a commitment to its system. The Cargo 2000 program is a quality management system that aims to improve the process of managing shipments in a paperless environment.

In total, 72 of the air cargo industry's leading service providers are participating in the Cargo 2000 program, also including freight forwarders, ground handlers, airports, trucking companies and IT providers.

Justice Luthuli, Operations Executive at SAA Cargo, said: 'Cargo 2000's quality management system will enable us to enhance our operational efficiencies, detect and address irregularities immediately, improve relations with our major customers and save costs.

'This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss as it brings together airlines and the freight forwarding community in order to improve the management and visibility of air cargo transportation. We want to be part of this milestone in the history of air cargo transportation. Our participation in Cargo 2000 shows our commitment to improving the quality of the service we render to our customers. We understand that this is a highly competitive air cargo market and therefore delivering on customer needs is imperative. We have taken a keen interest in Cargo 2000 and as a result we will be implementing Phase 1 which will be for point-to-point shipments on our major routes.'

SAA Cargo transports over 200,000 tons of cargo annually, serving routes in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and other destinations in Africa. Besides using the belly space of SAA's passenger aircraft, SAA Cargo also operates two Boeing 737-300Fs, two Boeing 737-200Fs and a Hawker Siddeley 748F for the domestic and African markets.

Lothar Moehle, Cargo 2000's Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: 'We are naturally delighted to welcome our second member in Africa following Kenya Airways' GHA Division in 2007 and Egyptair. SAA Cargo has clearly identified all of the benefits of adopting our processes and procedures and we hope its successful participation in Cargo 2000 will encourage other companies in Africa to want to know more about the value we can provide for their businesses.'