Panalpina announced the completion of the acquisition of Air Connection, a specialized forwarder of flowers and vegetables following the approval by the Competition Authority of Kenya.
The move follows Panalpina’s acquisition of Airflo in 2016 and positions the company as a clear market leader in perishables in Kenya.
“The acquisition of Air Connection is another important step in building our Perishables Network. It further strengthens our existing global footprint and positions us as a clear market leader in perishables in Kenya,” says Stefan Karlen, CEO of Panalpina. “It will also allow us to develop our perishables presence in the neighbouring countries of Tanzania and Uganda, where we see a lot of potential.”
Founded in 1993, Air Connection has operations close to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and in Mombasa. The company specializes in the export of flowers and vegetables from Kenya to multiple destinations, including the Netherlands and the UK. The perishables business of Air Connection will be merged with Panalpina Airflo.
“By combining Panalpina’s global network with Air Connection’s expertise in direct shipments, we can now offer our customers an unequalled service including direct shipments to over 150 destinations worldwide,” explained Conrad Archer, managing director of Panalpina Airflo and Panalpina Kenya.
The combined business boosts Panalpina Airflo’s existing cold storage capabilities to a total of 4,200 sq m dedicated to perishables and will handle around 70,000 tonnes of perishables air freight per year. Construction has already begun to significantly increase the cold storage for perishables, which will be completed next year.
Source: Panalpina
