Looking to boost the volume of air cargo exports from the country, the Indian government has initiated a consultation process with industry stakeholders to discuss various proposals aimed at further liberalising the norms governing the country’s air cargo industry.
Looking to boost the volume of air cargo exports from the country, the Indian government has initiated a consultation process with industry stakeholders to discuss various proposals aimed at further liberalising the norms governing the country’s air cargo industry.
“We have been putting a specific focus on the air cargo segment for the last six months. We are looking at ways to increase participation of freighters, assessing cargo throughput of the top 20 Indian airports, and other ways to improve efficiency and create a competitive market,” a senior official involved in the ongoing discussions told Mint.
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“We have been putting a specific focus on the air cargo segment for the last six months. We are looking at ways to increase participation of freighters, assessing cargo throughput of the top 20 Indian airports, and other ways to improve efficiency and create a competitive market,” a senior official involved in the ongoing discussions told Mint.
The government hopes to make concrete progress on these proposals within a year, the official added.
According to data from the Airports Authority of India, all operational airports handled 3.4 million tonnes of freight in 2023-24, including 2 million tonnes of international freight. It is also important to note that the government has set a target of handling 10-million tonnes of air cargo per year by 2030.
Doubling down
As part of the discussions with stakeholders, the civil aviation ministry is also evaluating various methods to enable a smoother process for foreign freighter operators to carry cargo to and from multiple points in India, the official added.
Under the current framework, Indian freighter operators are allowed double dipping, a term used in the industry to explain how cargo meant for imports or exports is carried to and from more than one city in India.
Also read: Air India eyes 20% share in air cargo biz in 2-3 years
For example, a domestic freight operator can take cargo from Delhi, then fly to Mumbai, take cargo from there, and then fly to its destination abroad. However, international freighter operators are approved on a case-by-case basis only.
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