Balajee Bobba, Director, Bobba Group shares, “Open sky policy is essential to boost cargo efficiency and global competitiveness. Incentivise and further promote digitisation of end-to-end processes and reduce manual interventions further to speed up workflow. Upskilling existing manpower to educate and empower on latest in technology which creates win-win synergy on personal and organisational growth. Expansion of facilities with focus on future growth and reducing dwell times for quick clearance and maximising efficiency.”

C K Govil, Chairman and Managing Director, Activair Airfreight India and ACAAI President says, “An open sky policy allows unrestricted access to international air routes and removes barriers for airlines, promoting increased competition, lower costs, and enhanced efficiency. For air cargo, this policy boosts global connectivity, allowing faster movement of goods, reducing logistical delays, and improving supply chain resilience. Ultimately, it enhances a country’s global competitiveness by facilitating trade, fostering economic growth, and attracting foreign investment in the logistics sector.”

Vandana Singh, Director, Global Key Accounts, Asia Pacific, Saudia Cargo says, “Adopting an Open Sky policy is crucial for enhancing cargo efficiency and bolstering global competitiveness. By allowing greater air traffic freedom, we can reduce logistical bottlenecks, expedite delivery times, and foster a more competitive marketplace. This policy not only drives economic growth but also positions us strategically in the global supply chain, ensuring that businesses can meet international demands swiftly and efficiently.”

Sunil Kohli, Managing Director, Rahat Cargo says, “The cargo trade stakeholders including airports, airlines, exporters, and industry associations, have warmly welcomed the open sky policy as they anticipate significant benefits such as improved efficiency, expanded exports, and alignment with the government’s ambitious economic targets. Since the said policy has also provided ample capacity to assorted destinations, the space crunch has also shrunk because of availability of several carriers to the cargo agents thereby rendering various options to choose from. This welcome shift resulted in a notable uptick in the share of international cargo traffic and revenue for domestic airlines. Also, the revival of the policy is expected to witness an accelerated activities of infrastructure development at non-metro airports, enhancing their cargo-handling capabilities and unlocking additional export capacity.”

Jalpa H Vithalani, Director, Global Aviation Services says, “Open sky policy will boost air cargo supply chain. With open skies – India will become a transit hub and increase cargo connectivity through our airports. Boosting airport infrastructure, seamless customs processes, good domestic connectivity & efficient seamless cargo handling services, will put Indian airports amongst the most advanced on the global map & it will also help achieve the target of 10Million tons exponentially.

M Afzal Malbarwala, Managing Director, Galaxy Freight says, “The Open Sky policy is crucial for boosting cargo efficiency and global competitiveness. It allows for unrestricted air cargo operations, increasing flexibility and reducing costs. This leads to enhanced trade facilitation, faster delivery times, and increased market access. By embracing Open Skies, countries can unlock their air cargo potential, driving economic growth and competitiveness in the global market.

  Patel Integrated Logistics plans to go pan-India with ‘FreightPILL’ mobile app. This app is already gaining momentum across metros and cities for its seamless digital logistics experience. FreightPILL is an Enterprise Information System software developed by the company to enhance their logistics services and overcome challenges associated with manual operations The FreightPILL app enables companies to manage end-to-end logistics processes, including shipment booking, generating air waybills and delivery receipts, and real-time shipment tracking. The app centralizes data from all branches into a unified database, ensuring that users have access to accurate, up-to-date information anytime, anywhere. Patel Integrated Logistics Limited is the first ever company to launch integrated app to streamline logistics operations for business pan India in the sector of air cargo consolidation. Commenting on the app’s impact, Mr. Mahesh Fogla, Executive Director at Patel Integrated Logistics Limited, said, “The FreightPILL Mobile App represents a significant step in our commitment to enhance customer experience, sustainability and digital innovation. We are already present pan India so extending app services across the country aligns with our strategy to provide real time updates and simplify supply chain management, setting new standard of efficiency.”  

“We have seen the logistics sector innovate and evolve in a big way especially with the advancement and wide usage of advanced new-age technologies,” says Tej Contractor, Director, Mayur C Contractor Logistics, MCC Container Lines and Transcargo India, who was recently honoured with the prestigious DDP Game Changer award at the recently concluded India Cargo Awards 2024 in Mumbai. He added, “Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for hundred per cent digitalization to streamline operations and to fill the gap that exist in the logistics space.  We have been receiving tremendous response from tech professionals want to enter the logistics business. I believe technology and innovation will drive the growth in the sector. Industry has started using Blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence to streamline cargo operations and improve operational efficiency.”

MASkargo plans to expand its freighter fleet in Asia with 737-800 Freighters. The proposed routes include Kuala Lumpur and Noi Bai, Hanoi; Yangon, Myanmar; Kuching, Malaysia; Chennai, India; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. MASkargo’s freighter network currently spans Asia, Australia, and Europe, with current freighter services to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Penang, Bangkok, Chennai, Mumbai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Hanoi and Sydney, plus Amsterdam via Doha. The belly capacity network also enables the business to reach 65 destinations worldwide. MASkargo operates its own freighter fleet comprising three production Airbus 330-200 freighters, each with a capacity of 61 tonnes. Meanwhile, according to data from Planespotters, its current in-service passenger fleet comprises eight Airbus A330-200s, 12 Airbus A330-300s, 6 Airbus A350-900s, 37 737-800s, and four Boeing 737 MAX 8s. This recent decision to build 737-800 operations is part of MASkargo’s strategic expansion plan.

CHAMP Cargosystems has shared that a growing number of Asia Pacific airlines have signed up to use its technology supporting air cargo compliance with customs and security measures. The IT company said that there is a demand for software solutions that simplify regulatory compliance in line with government bodies requesting more granular air cargo pre-loading and pre-arrival detail. Existing CHAMP customers Biman Bangladesh, Korean Air, Sichuan Airlines and Vietnam Airlines have this year signed multi-year contracts for Traxon Global Security (TGS), a platform designed to help carriers manage their Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) filing. TGS is designed to enable customers to be fully compliant with pre-loading security screenings including the European Union’s ICS2, the United States ACAS, the UK’s PreDICT, the UAE’s NAIC and Canada’s PACT, which is expected to become mandatory in the fourth quarter of 2024. Additionally, Biman Bangladesh, Vietnam Airlines, China Southern, and China Cargo Airlines have signed multi-year contracts for reporting tool, Traxon Global Customs. By using the tool, airlines are equipped with a streamlined information exchange featuring 60+ country customs authorities, regardless of format, communications protocols or processing rules. CHAMP’s technology enables companies to automate PLACI filing and remain to reduce the possibility of customs penalties or errors associated with misfiling.