Hurdles to getting air cargo moving

Trade members associated with air cargo have expressed concern over the decision of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to reduce the free period for cargo clearance at airports to three days, from five, effective October 1.
They say it will be difficult to clear cargo in three days, given the infrastructure bottleneck at airports and delays in getting clearances. The reduction only helps private airport operators and not the trade.
With the increase in cargo volume, the trade was planning to ask for an increase in free time, to seven days from five. The reduction has come as a shock, said a trade source.
Recently, trade members took up the issue with the Director-General of Foreign Trade at a meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations in Chennai. They argued that the reduction in free period was done without improving the infrastructure at airports.
From flight touchdown
According to Mr N. Siva Subramaniam, Chairman, Air Cargo Agents Association of India, Southern Region Council (ACAAI), the free period should be in terms of hours from touchdown of the flight and not calendar days.
When a flight lands a few hours before midnight, an entire day of the three-day free time is lost after midnight even though no activity would have taken place. Effectively, there are only two days left to clear the cargo.
22/10/07 Raja Simhan T.E/Business Line

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Categories: Cargo Oct 2007