‘Perishables exports drastically impacted due to cargo ceasing’

Perishable exports are drastically impacted due to ceased cargo movement at 11 AAICLASS-operated airports in Amritsar, Pune, Coimbatore, etc.,” says Satish Lakkaraju, Senior Vice President, Global Head – Air Freight & Pharma, Radar Ventures. “In the past, airlines used to screen the cargo for the respective flights, which was then moved to a common user facility for multiple reasons, but now cargo is stopped without proper alternative arrangements. The air cargo industry is supposed to be the fastest mode of transport, whereas in India, the total time spent on the ground is much higher than expected because of non-alignment between agencies like BCAS, AAICLASS, and other allied agencies,” he adds.
“It is time that MOCA and other agencies get together to resolve the same on priority, as it is giving such a bad image for the country and the trade. It is really sad that no one is even bothered in the country, and the customers are impacted as a result, Indian Air Cargo is going through a difficult time when customer expectations have been drastically increasing and the situation on the ground has been deteriorating with increased costs and longer dwell times on the ground because of security issues and a lack of clarity.”