AIR TRANSPORT AND AIRPORTS
African secondary hubs add widebody handling rather than terminals
Ramp equipment and cargo capacity are the constraint on network growth, not passenger floor space.
Aerospace Garage desk
Several African airports pursuing hub ambitions are prioritising widebody ramp handling and cargo infrastructure over terminal expansion. The reasoning is that connecting traffic is limited by aircraft servicing capability rather than passenger processing.
A widebody turn requires ground power, air start, high-loaders and trained crews in sufficient number to handle simultaneous arrivals. Several airports can accept the aircraft but not turn three at once.
Cargo capacity compounds it, because the freight that makes a hub viable needs cold-store and bonded warehousing that terminal projects rarely fund.
What to watch: ground support equipment procurement rather than terminal groundbreaking. It is the honest measure of hub intent.
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