‘Bright future for air freight sector, faster turnaround time is needed’
In 2023-2024, air cargo handled in the country amounted to just over 3,360,000 tons
To tap the potential of the country’s air cargo sector, the focus should be on further improving processes and ensuring faster turnaround times, a senior government official said on Thursday. “The government is working on developing logistics hubs,” he added.
Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that the air cargo sector has a bright future and the number of cargo aircraft in the country is expected to increase. Currently, Indian airlines have around 18 cargo aircraft.
“Focus will be placed on further enhancing the ease of doing business and speeding up turnaround time in the air cargo sector,” he said while addressing the conference organised by ACFI (Air Cargo Forum India) in the national capital.
While passenger traffic has recovered after the blow of the coronavirus pandemic, air cargo has not fully recovered to pre-Covid levels. In 2023-24, air cargo handled in the country stood at just over 3,360,000 tonnes.
Surendra Kumar Ahirwar, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, said, “There is a lot of movement in logistics, including people training.” He also said that there is suboptimal utilisation of existing air cargo facilities and stressed the need to develop hubs as part of logistics infrastructure.
According to ACFI Chairman Yashpal Sharma, “the air cargo sector accounts for nearly 10 percent of domestic airlines’ revenues.” Quoting market research reports, he said the country’s air cargo market is expected to grow to $16.37 billion by 2027.
“Moreover, plans to establish air transport hubs at major airports are expected to boost the sector’s growth,” he added.
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First print: 04 Jul 2024 | 16:36 IST