Rethinking Airfreight for Zambia’s Mining Heartland

As Zambia’s Copperbelt faces ongoing logistical challenges, a shift in airfreight strategy could redefine efficiency for mining and other key industries. Matthew Larkins of C Steinweg Logistics explores how direct airfreight routes to Ndola are reshaping supply chains and reducing costly delays.

In global logistics, efficiency is everything. Businesses rely on seamless supply chains to keep operations running, especially in regions where delays can mean millions lost. Nowhere is this clearer than in Africa’s Copperbelt, where outdated freight routes, severe congestion at border crossings and delivery delays often dictate the pace of trade. But what if there’s another way around?

For decades, Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, has been the primary airfreight gateway into the country. Ndola—the heart of the Copperbelt—is over 300km from Lusaka. And as demand grows and infrastructure struggles to keep up, businesses are questioning existing delivery models. Every freight solution is unique, and clinging to legacy routes may not always be the right way to go.

Road freight deliveries from Lusaka to Ndola face an odyssey through unpredictable terrain, border clearance bottlenecks and logistical uncertainties. Some industries can’t afford uncertainty. A mining operation waiting for equipment or spares, for example, loses valuable revenue with every extra minute of downtime.

But what if, instead of routing freight through Lusaka, you could change everything with a direct route to Ndola? Matthew Larkins, Manager, Airfreight, at C Steinweg Logistics (CSL), explains that airfreight alternatives are emerging as a faster, more efficient Copperbelt solution.

“The idea that a single, fixed logistics model can serve every industry is outdated. The mining sector, for example, operates on precision, requiring deliveries to fit within tight windows. If a piece of machinery fails, waiting three weeks for a replacement part could shut down an entire operation. The consequence isn’t just lost time—it’s lost revenue, potentially lost jobs and lost momentum in a sector that accounts for much of Zambia’s economic activity,” says Larkins.

According to Larkins, new streamlined airfreight options, connecting Europe, China and other major centres directly to Ndola, can now shrink the journey from around three weeks to just 4–7 days, adding, “The overland stretch disappears. The roadblocks—literal and bureaucratic—are bypassed entirely. Security risks from transporting valuable equipment along vulnerable highways are eliminated. This is not just faster. It’s more reliable, predictable and aligned with the needs of the businesses that keep the region’s economy running.”

Mining, agriculture and industrial projects each depend on steady, predictable supply chains, and with a bit of extra forward-thinking, beyond direct airfreight into Ndola, many companies are also taking advantage of warehousing and storage solutions that are emerging to help Zambia’s logistics infrastructure make more sense.

Larkins adds, “Efficient logistics, warehousing, customs clearance and effective forwarding services determine whether production deadlines are met or missed. Operations in the Copperbelt require streamlined groupage – space, security and a direct line to international suppliers, not a tangle of unnecessary middlemen and delays. Strategically placed facilities for clearing and forwarding metals, minerals, agricultural products and project-specific cargo ensure that raw materials and machinery move as they should, without the disruption that so often plagues long-haul transport. Beyond mining, these solutions also create opportunities for other industries to piggyback off the same efficiencies, enabling smoother trade flows and reducing logistical bottlenecks across the region.”

He continues, “Airfreight should work for the industries it serves, not the other way around. In the past, logistics providers have treated freight solutions as a one-size-fits-all offering, forcing businesses from Europe and China to adapt to inefficiencies instead of designing networks around them. Finally, an alternative has now emerged.”

With airfreight hubs at key points in Africa, cargo no longer needs to pass through multiple third-party handlers, each introducing new risks and delays. Instead, goods move through a system built for speed, security and reliability.

Mining companies in Zambia’s Copperbelt have long accepted delays as an unavoidable part of logistics. But the reality is, there’s no reason for this to remain the norm. The region’s future depends on efficiency, and efficiency depends on rethinking how freight moves. Ndola is the logical choice. It is closer, faster and designed to work with—not against—the industries that rely on it.

Larkins concludes, “In Africa, logistics has been parked in inefficiency for too long. The future of airfreight isn’t about maintaining the status quo. It’s about redesigning the journey entirely.”