Airwaves

What Airwaves does

Airwaves (Pty) Ltd is a privately held South African freight forwarding and customs clearance company founded in 1988 by Daniel Salbany de Matos and headquartered in Durban, with additional offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The company remains family-owned under the de Matos family, currently led by CEO Jodi De Matos, COO Red Ramdas, and General Manager Matt De Matos, with a workforce reported in the 11–50 employee band where most staff have tenures exceeding 10 years. It operates as an International Partner of United Shipping Lines & CLN, a 20+ year relationship that grants access to 770 international offices and over 500 agents globally.

The company's product set covers nine integrated service modules — international forwarding, customs brokering, cargo supervision (with live tracking), shipment quotations and costing, road transport, logistical chain supply management, handling, customs tariff consultancy, and storage — delivered across airfreight, sea freight (FCL/LCL and break bulk), road freight, rail, and specialized project cargo. Underlying technology is limited to operational cargo tracking and live monitoring tools integrated with agent systems to provide shipment visibility; there is no evidence of proprietary software platforms, APIs, or AI-driven automation. The company holds B-BBEE Level 2 certification, which is strategically relevant for enterprise and public-sector contract eligibility in South Africa.

Airwaves runs a sales-led, quote-based business model, charging transactional fees on a per-shipment basis with no publicly disclosed pricing. Customer acquisition is driven by direct sales outreach, a "Request a Quote" CTA on its website, and referral flow from its 500+ global agent network. The target customer base is horizontal — South African import/export enterprises requiring multi-modal international shipping, customs brokerage, and end-to-end supply chain coordination — though no specific named customer logos are publicly disclosed. Revenue streams comprise freight forwarding transaction fees and ancillary logistics and supply chain management services; no revenue figure has been disclosed and no external funding rounds have been recorded.

Name

Airwaves

Legal name

Airwaves (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://airwaves.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airwaves (Pty) Ltd is a family-owned South African freight forwarding and customs clearance company, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Durban with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It delivers international air, sea, road, and rail logistics services to import/export enterprises via a 500+ agent global partnership network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Air–Ocean Multimodal Forwarding (TLACAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Customs brokering services
• Air and sea freight
• Supply chain management
• Warehousing and storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Airwaves generates revenue through fees charged for international freight forwarding services across air, sea, road, and rail modes. This includes international forwarding, customs brokering, cargo supervision, shipment quotations, road transport, logistical chain supply management, handling, customs tariff consultancy, and storage services.
2. Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Revenue is also derived from managing the flow of goods including storage and movement of raw materials to finished products, as well as providing ancillary services such as landing, loading/offloading, shipping, stevedore supervision, lashing, and fumigation coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airwaves (Pty) Ltd is a global clearing and forwarding company that moves goods end-to-end via air, sea, road, and rail freight. The company offers international forwarding, customs brokering, cargo supervision with live tracking, shipment quotations, road transport, supply chain management, cargo handling, customs tariff consultancy, and storage services to import/export businesses.

Product overview

Airwaves is a unified logistics and shipping platform offering comprehensive freight forwarding and customs services. The core offering consists of nine integrated service modules: International Forwarding (global shipping through 500+ agent network), Customs Brokering (clearance services), Cargo Supervision (tracking and monitoring), Shipment Quotations & Costing (pricing optimization), Road Transport (door-to-door delivery), Logistical Chain Supply Management (supply chain coordination), Handling (cargo monitoring), Customs Tariff Consultancy (compliance), and Storage (warehousing). These services are delivered across multiple transport modes including Airfreight, Sea Freight (FCL/LCL), and Road Freight, with specialized capabilities for Break Bulk Cargo and Project Cargo shipments. The company operates as an International Partner of United Shipping Lines & CLN, providing access to 770 international offices worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Forwarding Global shipping coordination services leveraging a network of over 500 agents to closely follow shipments and ensure goods are moved on time at competitive rates with real-time client updates.
• Customs Brokering Specialized customs clearance services for imported and exported goods that eliminate detentions and extra costs while maintaining logistical efficiency.
• Cargo Supervision Monitoring and tracking services providing cargo visibility and security through live update capabilities, ensuring clients have oversight throughout the shipping process.
• Shipment Quotations & Costing Competitive pricing services focused on delivering the most cost-effective shipping solutions while maintaining high-quality service standards.
• Road Transport Door-to-door road freight services utilizing established relationships with transport agents to provide seamless delivery to almost any location in South Africa.
• Logistical Chain Supply Management Supply chain coordination services managing the flow of goods from raw materials to finished products, including storage and movement handling.
• Handling Cargo booking and monitoring services ensuring goods are moved safely with ultimate care throughout the transportation process.
• Customs Tariff Consultancy Expert tariff classification and regulatory compliance services ensuring proper goods classification to avoid penalties, with specialists staying current on new laws and regulations.
• Storage Warehousing and storage solutions for cargo during transit, with staff organizing sailing schedules and prioritizing facilities to keep goods in motion.
• Airfreight Services International air cargo transport services for time-sensitive shipments.
• Sea Freight Services Ocean freight transport for FCL (Full Container Load) and LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments including container traffic and break bulk cargo.
• Project Cargo Shipments Handling of abnormal out of gauge dimensions and project cargo requiring specialized logistical solutions.
• Stevedore Supervision Services Coordination of landing, loading/offloading, shipping, stevedore supervision, lashing, and fumigation services.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• United Shipping Lines & CLNflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirwaves is an International Partner of United Shipping Lines & CLN, a relationship maintained for over 20 years. This partnership provides Airwaves access to 770 international offices and over 500 agents worldwide, enabling the company to offer comprehensive global freight forwarding services to its clients across all cargo types and destinations.
• SAFF (South African Freight Forwarders)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirwaves is proudly associated with SAFF, the South African Freight Forwarders association, which supports the company's standing and networking within the regional freight forwarding industry.
• Combined Logistics NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirwaves is associated with Combined Logistics Networks, further expanding its logistics partnership ecosystem and industry connections globally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Hellmann operates a global forwarding network with air, sea, road, and customs services, including operations across Africa. It is comparable to Airwaves in service scope and customer profile (mid-market importers/exporters), with similar international partner-based reach but at greater scale and brand recognition.
• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a major global air and ocean freight forwarder with customs brokerage capabilities, including service offerings into Africa. It competes with Airwaves on enterprise cross-border shipments and customs clearance but operates through owned infrastructure at global integrator scale.
• Geodis: Geodis is a global freight forwarder offering air, sea, and road forwarding plus customs services, and maintains a presence across Africa including South Africa. It is comparable to Airwaves across the same range of forwarding and customs services, although it competes at significantly larger scale through its global network.
• Bolloré Logistics: Bolloré Logistics is a global forwarder with particularly deep African roots and operations across the continent. It directly competes with Airwaves for African trade flows and offers the same combination of air, sea, road forwarding and customs services, while operating at much larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
• CEVA Logistics (CMA CGM Logistics): CEVA Logistics provides global freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics, with operations in South Africa. Comparable to Airwaves on multimodal forwarding and customs capability, but serves more global enterprise accounts and large-scale industrial shippers.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL's freight forwarding arm handles air, ocean, road, and customs services globally and competes with Airwaves on the same multinational customer base, including across Africa. As a broad incumbent, it offers overlapping capabilities at far greater scale, but typically targets enterprise accounts rather than the mid-market relationships that Airwaves cultivates.
• DSV (formerly UTi): DSV acquired South African forwarder UTi and now operates a meaningful air, sea, and road forwarding network into South Africa. The firm overlaps directly with Airwaves on freight forwarding and customs services, but at a much larger scale and with stronger procurement leverage.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders with significant air, ocean, and customs brokerage operations including presence in South Africa. It is comparable to Airwaves in service mix (forwarding, customs, multimodal), but operates at global integrator scale and competes with Airwaves for cross-border African shipments.

Regional players

• Bidvest Logistics: Bidvest Logistics is a South African-based provider of freight forwarding, customs clearing, and supply chain services. It is comparable to Airwaves as a regional forwarder competing for the same South African importer/exporter base with similar multimodal and customs brokerage offerings.
• Imperial Logistics: Imperial Logistics is a large South African logistics group with freight forwarding, customs, and contract logistics operations. It is comparable to Airwaves as a domestically rooted player offering multimodal forwarding and customs services into/out of South Africa, but at significantly larger scale through owned fleet and warehousing assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/airwavesshipping/?view_public_for=104352064385239
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linkedin-com-company-airwaves
• Instagraminstagram.com/airwaves_shipping/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airwaves