The air cargo sector failed to emulate the success of the container freight station (CFS) in the maritime industry. With the growth in air cargo traffic across the country, more so in Chennai, there is now a growing demand for the revival of the air freight station (AFS) to help customers get their cargo for production at the shortest possible time.
The concept of AFS was first introduced in the country nearly some six years ago, in Chennai, to help customers take delivery of cargo in one or two days. (Currently they have to wait for a week.) However, the concept was buried, as also the infrastructure created for the purpose at the Central Warehousing Corporation in Virugambakkam.
The maritime industry understood the concept of an off-dock freight station and used it effectively to prosper. On the contrary, the air cargo sector failed to understand the benefits of an AFS and is lagging behind with delays in clearance of cargo from the airport, said G. Raghu Sankar, Chairman, Logistics Committee of Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “Please revive the AFS,” Sankar appealed to senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry at a recent seminar in Chennai. The trade is deprived of the fruits of a good project (AFS) as it has become a non-starter, he said.
04/03/13 T. E. Raja Simhan/Business Line
