‘Air freight SEZs near airports essential to boost trade’

The setting up of freight-specific Special Economic Zones (SEZs) near airports are essential to boost exports, says Jayesh Tanna, CEO, ECU Worldwide, adding that it can foster an environment for cargo-centric airline expansions and for simplifying customs procedures with faster clearances and digital documentation. He also adds, “One of the main hurdles to the fast growth of India’s air cargo industry is the lack of smooth integration between freighters and passenger services. Another major issue is that most airports have poor connection with other forms of transportation. Despite the fact that India has over 70 airports with cargo capabilities, many of them are still underutilised because there is a lack of multimodal integration, which is essential for effective last-mile delivery.  Moreover, absence of dedicated warehouses at most Indian airports for perishable goods and pharmaceutical products, coupled with regulatory bottlenecks in their export, remains a significant barrier to the rapid growth of the country’s air cargo sector.”