Loads: the charter starts from Shangái to Córdoba, and they are already preparing another

The logistics of Córdoba will star in the coming days an unprecedented event: a charter flight from the Chinese city of Shanghai only for cargo.

The objective is to import medical products, although its organizers do not rule out consolidating the service with other supplies.

The charter, which was organized by the Cordovan company Lambda Logistics, will depart on Tuesday the 19th and arrive on Thursday the 21st in Córdoba, according to the company.

As it has already consolidated, because it managed to cover more than 70 percent of the space available for the operation, it is preparing another service for June 1.

The flight will be carried out with an Airbus 340 that offers up to 250 cubic meters of cargo, belonging to Royal Brunei Airlines.

“Córdoba does not have cargo flights and the pandemic is an opportunity to test a service like this, because it can lower the costs of importing products,” explained Federico Rodríguez, general manager of Lambda Logistics.

The Cordovan firm has spent four years providing management in the logistics of companies such as automotive and metalworking, consumer goods, medical supplies, and transformers and electricity, among others.

With a team of a dozen people, it serves clients from Córdoba (they represent 70 percent of its operations), Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, San Luis, La Pampa and other places in the interior of the country.

Demand

The pandemic raised the need for cargoes to import medical supplies (chinstraps, caps, gloves and eye protectors) from China.

These products are not only in high demand from hospitals and private clinics, but also from companies that are emerging from quarantine and must implement biosafety protocols, as part of the commitment made to resume activity.

The advance of the coronavirus caused a reduction of nearly 50 percent in cargo transportation due to the cancellation of flights for the transfer of passengers, which not only slowed the market by plane, but also multiplied the cost of services by three.

Although this charter is offered at market prices, it would still imply savings for importing companies, according to Rodríguez.

“Having a direct flight from Shanghai allows you not to pass through Buenos Aires, which means that you save the cost of freight and additional costs, because the merchandise enters through Córdoba,” he explained.

So next week and June 1 flights will be a litmus test.

“There is a strong demand for a winery that is not only local, but also national. The idea is to respond to these needs, given the possibility of entering the country through Córdoba, ”he stressed.

The charter will serve to measure the potential of Córdoba as a gateway for other items that need foreign inputs, both traditional industries and computer products.

“The contraction of the warehouse offer generated by the coronavirus will last for several months, therefore there will be a demand for air travel for a time,” Rodríguez said.

For now, the charter is intended only for importing supplies and not so much for exporting, because Córdoba mainly sells food to China –commodities or products with some industrial processing, such as meats – that are shipped by ship.

Food: Meats

High demand. In March, the purchases made by China under the heading “meat and offal” totaled 919 thousand tons, 50% more than in the previous months. And in April they also remained at a very high level, which allays fears about the impact of the pandemic.