RTW benefits from Swiss market growth

GENEVA-based GSSA RTW Air Services, posted a 22 per cent increase in total air cargo revenue for 2007. The result followed an even larger 47 per cent increase in 2006.

Key contributors to the year’s increased business were Nippon Cargo Airlines (which saw three-fold growth over the previous year), Etihad and CAL CargoAirLine (up 20 per cent) and EVA Air (up 10 per cent). All RTW client carriers enjoyed at least five per cent increases in revenue. The company’s increase in tonnage achieved for its client carriers has taken it to the number one slot for GSSAs in Switzerland.

2007 saw the Swiss airfreight market as a whole increase over eight per cent, while the Swiss economy grew by 3.6 per cent. Despite signs of a slight slowdown in 2008 (the economy is predicted to show 1.7 per cent growth this year).

RTW is now actively looking for a transatlantic bellyhold carrier to complement its cargo portfolio, says the company’s managing director Walter Richner. “For the time being RTW can only offer maindeck capacity to the USA, but many of our customers have consolidations and other regular traffic which require daily departures. This is a gap in our coverage that we would really like to fill. We have the customers and they have the traffic, but right now we are unable to assist them.”