Customs faces contempt case over air courier launch delay

Trichy: Tired of the inordinate delay in the launch of international courier operations from the airport here, courier agents are keenly awaiting the outcome of a contempt of court petition they moved in this regard against customs authorities earlier this month for failing to honour a three-month deadline fixed by the Madurai bench of the Madras high court.
It was on July 12, 2013 that the finance ministry okayed the launch of courier imports and exports via Trichy international airport. With no visible signs of the launch, a writ petition was filed in the high court by Express Courier Operators Association for the same in August last year. Following this, the court directed the customs authorities to issue notification for the courier import and export operations in the international airport within three months.
However, with no indication of the public utility taking off, the courier agents moved the contempt of court petition at the high court bench against the customs authorities on February 6. They pointed out that the authorities had done nothing to issue trade notification even after the court had fixed a deadline to issue the same. The operators said they were forced to use either Chennai or Bangalore for sending their consignment.
Airports Authority of India had been waiting for the trade notification from the customs to begin the service. “As the custodian of courier import and export operation, Airports Authority of India, Trichy had established the required infrastructure at the airport such as LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) connectivity. But the customs department has not been issuing a notification on their part,” said S A Sayeed, president, Express Courier Operators Association.
He said that the service would immensely help people hailing from Trichy and central region working abroad. “During emergency purpose, lifesaving drugs can be sent or received by the courier. Those residing abroad can send gift articles during anniversaries to their loved ones. Household articles or any essential items can also be sent or received with the help of the international courier,” he added.
27/02/18 Times of India

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Plans for Netherlands-India digital airfreight corridor

IT specialist Kale Logistics Solutions has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cargonaut, the Schiphol cargo community service provider, to create a digital airfreight corridor between Holland and India.

Mumbai Airport, India and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, together with their cargo community system partners, Kale Logistics Solutions and Cargonaut, are pioneering a digital air corridor linking the two trading partners.

The digital corridor will “facilitate flow of information within the stakeholder chain and optimise cargo visibility across the stakeholder network”, a statement said.

Kale Logistics and Cargonaut expect to together develop a shared interface between their respective air cargo community systems. This interface will be capable of facilitating exchange of cargo status at each location, as well as allowing the interchange of shipment data.

At any time, participants of the network will be in full control of their data.

As a result, any unnecessary administrative paperwork involved in shipping between the two countries should be kept to an absolute minimum.

Kale Logistics chief executive Amar More said: “Kale Logistics has always been at the forefront of driving trade facilitation across the logistics and supply chain sector.
22/02/18 aircargonews

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Air Cargo India 2018 pumps up India’s air cargo prospects

Excitement among the air cargo industry stakeholders reached a new level as the 7th edition of Air Cargo India, kicked off on Tuesday. The three-day event, dubbed as the biggest congregation of the global air cargo supply chain, organised by The STAT Media Group, is currently taking place at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai from February 20-22.

The event themed “Indian air cargo: A revolution enhancing global trade” aims to showcase India's potential in the global scenario and provide a platform for the Indian air cargo industry to learn from the best global air logistics leaders and network with them.

Vandana Agarwal, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India inaugurated the event. RK Patra, Editor-In-Chief, STAT Media Group; Manoj Singh, Senior Vice President and Head – Cargo, Mumbai International Airport – GVK, Dheeraj Kohli, Vice President and Global Head for Travel and Transportation, Unisys and Ashok Rajan, Senior Vice President - Global Business Head - Airline Cargo Services, IBS Software Services were also in attendance.

The first-panel discussion had industry stalwarts discuss on charting a new flight path for Indian air cargo as a global destination. Those on the panel included the likes of Glyn Hughes, Global Head of Cargo, IATA; Alexis von Hoensbroech, Member, Executive Board and CCO, Lufthansa Cargo; Russi Batliwala, CEO, Chapman Freeborn Air Chartering; Keku Gazder, CEO, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services; Dheeraj Kohli, VP & Global Head for Travel and Transportation, Unisys; Abhay Pathak, Executive Director, Cargo, Air India; Manoj Singh, Senior Vice President & Head - Cargo, Mumbai International Airport and Hemanth DP, COO, Aerocommercial Cargo & Asia Pacific Flying School, GMR Airport. 

Hughes, who moderated the discussion, put forth an important question: Is India ready for consistent growth in air cargo? All the participants were in agreement that while it is not fully ready for sustained growth, it is on its way to reach there soon.
20/02/18 Logistics Update Africa

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New IoT device makes pet transit by air easy

Mumbai: It firm Unisys Corporation has introduced an IoT (Internet of Things) device that provides the ability to pet owners to continuously monitor and talk to their pets through their smartphone or other personal devices while the pets are transported as air cargo.

Called Digi-Pet, the device was developed at the company’s innovation centre in Bengaluru, and uses IoT technology via smart sensors attached to the pet’s kennel or carry case to monitor and transmit key metrics such as temperature, oxygen levels, vibration and light and automatically alert the pet owners and the airline’s staff to take immediate action for the comfort of the pet as well as owners.

Loss and injury caused to pets while on transit as air cargo is a heartbreaking experience for pet owners. There have been instances where in pets do not make it to the final destination due to intense heat at the tarmac or travel related stress inside the cargo hold. Owners also remain anxious through out the journey causing emotional situations. Unisys said its new and first of its kind product will address all these concerns.
Pet owners can also avail live video streaming, photos and voice exchanges so that they can see and talk to the pets via on a mobile app on their smartphones. “I am emotionally attached to this product and with this we are providing emotion to cargo that has been missing so far,” said Dheeraj Kohli, vice president & Global Head Travel & Transportation, Unisys Corporation in an interview.

“It has always been a painful experience for pet owners to remain separated from their pets for long hours while on transit. People are emotionally attached to their pets and staying away without knowing the exact condition is quite distressing. And the full visibility of the pet will help,” he said.
20/02/18 Lalatendu Mishra/The Hindu

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Woman arrested with gold worth Rs 33 lakh at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Air Intelligence Unit of Customs has arrested a woman along with a man while they were trying to smuggle 1200 gram gold worth Rs 33 lakh after avoiding duty at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on early Sunday.
The woman had concealed six gold bars in her bra and rectum. The man was coming from Tokyo from a flight had handed over the gold to the woman who had boarded the flight at airport in Delhi. It was Tokyo- Mumbai flight via Delhi.
Customs officials stated that they had specific input that a person, Vicky Dodeja, coming from Tokyo along with the gold. They followed his movement after he landed at the airport in Mumbai. Afterwards they intercepted him for questioning. They searched him personally and examined his bag but didn’t find any valuable.
Officials suspected someone in the flight helped him to transfer the gold outside the airport. First they decided to keep close eye of domestic passengers who boarded the flight at Delhi. On suspicion they intercepted once of the domestic passenger Neetu Rohra. They examined her on metal detector which indicated that she was carrying gold.
Initially she denied of any wrong doing, but afterwards she confessed that he had concealed gold bars in her bra and rectum.
18/02/18 Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Cargo India optimistic for 2018

 The year 2018 has started on an optimistic note for India’s air cargo stakeholders.
      The person holding out the lolly of hope is none other than Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
      In an interview at the beginning of this year, Raju pointed out that though the potential for air cargo—especially domestic—was high, cargo unfortunately was only a very small part of Indian aviation.

Am I Raju?

      The minister went on to emphasize the fact that the country had only two domestic freighter operators—Blue Dart and Quikjet—though looking back in history, the India aviation story had started with cargo.
      Terming the mismatch as a “jigsaw puzzle” that has never been pieced together, Raju said, “Somehow the jigsaw puzzle never got put together.
      “At least there is an attempt to put it together.
      “Let's see where it will take us.”
      He was referring to the government’s formation of the Air Cargo Logistics Promotion Board (ACLPB) that will “strategize how to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and ensure inter-ministry coordination.”
      He was, however, quick to reiterate that “we are not know-alls.”
      “The aviation business is a continuous process of learning and working.
      “I will be very happy if cargo takes off.
      “Right now, it is very minuscule.”
      The Minister’s guarded optimism stems from the fact that air cargo promises to register a growth in double digits over the next five years.

Numbers Drivers

      In FY18 (April 2017-March 2018), air cargo India is on track to deliver 14-15 percent in comparison to the 12 percent in 2017, according to ratings agency Crisil.
      The growth figures were largely due to enhanced infrastructure, growing volumes, more connectivity, and a single window clearance system.
      A large percentage of the domestic growth has been due to e-commerce. Kolkata airport, for instance, has seen a huge jump in cargo volumes over the last few years, thanks to e-commerce.
      An international metro airport, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (as the Kolkata airport is called) is the eastern gateway and a major hub for flights to South East Asia.
      Once a major destination for European airlines like Lufthansa and British Airways, the airport saw traffic going down steadily due to a variety of factors. However, now the situation seems to have changed.
      No longer is weight an important criteria. With weight no longer critical, today the number of packages that are being shipped has grown by leaps and bounds.
16/02/18 Air Cargo News

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5.2 Mn Roses Exported From Bengaluru Airport For Valentine's Day

As many as 5.2 million roses were exported to 25 countries from Bengaluru Airport ahead of Valentine's Day.

"About 325 tonnes (325,000 kg) of roses in the form of 5.2 million stems were exported to 36 destinations in 25 countries between February 1 and 14," the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said on Wednesday.

The roses from Karnataka were exported to Malaysia, Kuwait, Singapore, Japan, the US, the UK, South Korea, the Netherlands and New Zealand among others.

The export of roses had risen by at least by 10 per cent with 293 tonnes (4.7 million roses) exported last year to 15 countries during the first two weeks in February ahead of Valentine's Day on February 14.

"This year, we have witnessed an increase in the number of destinations the roses have been exported to," said the Managing Director of BIAL Hari Marar in the statement.
14/02/18 PTI/Mid Day

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Missing dog’s master stays back for pet

Pune: Vishal Verma’s affection for his “missing” pet dog, Shangul, prompted him to postpone his plan to permanently shift to his hometown Delhi.
He was about to bid adieu to the city permanently on Monday evening in an Air India flight. But Shangul escaped from the cage while he was being taken towards the aircraft at Lohegaon airport.
Vishal has decided to stay on till his pet dog is found. His luggage has reached his hometown, though.
All attempts until now to trace Shangul have gone in vain. Vishal told TOI that he had been going to different places around the airport to trace his pet. He is also distributing pamphlets to find it.
Vishal said, “I saw the whole thing happen on Monday evening. I was waiting near the gate No. 2 for boarding the aircraft when I saw my dog running away from the cage. I shouted and requested the airline’s officials as well as other authorities to open the gate. It took me almost 15 minutes to get past the gate as some procedures were involved. By then, my dog was gone. I saw him for a few seconds after some time, but it disappeared again.”
According to the procedure, the cage in which a pet is transported in an aircraft is scanned. Then the animal is put in it and locked.
Vishal suspected that the airline officials did not lock the cage properly. “It seems the airline officials locked its two sides instead of all the four. I had bought the cage on Sunday from Aundh. I also strongly suspect that the airline officials might have dropped the cage,” Vishal, who has been staying in Pune for around 4 years, said on Wednesday.
15/02/18 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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International cargo facility at Pune airport gets a Jet boost

Pune: With Jet Airways having begun its international cargo operations from the Pune airport, the volume of exports from the facility is expected to go up.
An official at the Pune airport said Jet Airways had sent the first cargo consignment to Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. This comes almost seven months after SpiceJet sent its first shipment out of the Pune international cargo export facility.
"Currently, we have a decent amount of cargo being exported out of the facility here. Though the figures have not yet matched our expectations, with the Jet Airways starting its operations, we expect the volume of exports to go up significantly. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has big plans for the international cargo facility and we hope other airlines too will start operations from this place," an airport official said.
Meanwhile, an Air India (AI) official told TOI on Sunday that the national carrier too will begin operations from the cargo facility within 10 days. "Air India has a flight to Dubai from Pune and the cargo service will be started soon. We are waiting for certain approvals from our headquarters. We hope to begin work within 10 days," said the official.
05/02/18 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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