Air cargo seen growing at 9% in next few years

Air cargo is likely to grow 9 per cent in a next few years with a significant growth in domestic air traffic and infrastructure and development of logistic parks will help that growth, minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju said.

Delivering the keynote address at the India Integrated Transport & Logistics Summit 2017, the minister said the country has seen significant growth in domestic air traffic and infrastructure development.

He said his ministry is taking steps to make air transport affordable to the common man through the regional connectivity scheme.

Speaking at the plenary session of the India Integrated Transport & Logistics Summit 2017, civil aviation  secretary RN Choubey said that air cargo globally and domestically constituted just 1 per cent in terms of volume, but almost 25 per cent in terms of value as air cargo was mostly valuable, perishable and time sensitive. He said a common framework would be created in a year's time for air cargo so that freight operators, airlines, security as well addressees come within one system. This, he said, will bring efficiency in handling air cargo.

The secretary also said that common user cargo terminals would be created at 17 airports.

He added that the free period for air cargo had been brought down from 72 to 48 hours to ensure faster movement out of terminals. He said that civil aviation would be a great beneficiary of all the steps taken to improve transport and logistics in the country and therefore had great expectations from the Summit.