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The Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) held its Annual Conclave on May 3, 2023 in New Delhi. The event witnessed the presence of senior government officials including Jivisha Joshi, Deputy Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DPIIT), Divya Satija, Senior Leader – DPIIT and Piyush Srivastava – Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation. Representatives of domestic and international air cargo industry bodies like TIACA, IATA, ACCAI, DACAAI, BAR India, etc. also attended the event.
Three business sessions were held during the conference, covering a variety of prospects, challenges, and next steps for getting Indian skies to 10 million tonnes by 2030–31. Key themes from the seminars included ‘AIR CARGO – The Business Galvanizer’, ‘INTERNATIONAL AIR CARGO – Opportunities and Challenges’, and ‘DOMESTIC AIR CARGO – Leveraging the Potential of Indian Domestic Cargo.’
Members of the air cargo community watched the event intently and heard several enlightening conversations between professionals in the field, decision-makers, and consumers of air cargo services. Three of Allied Aviation’s executives, Gretta Fernandes (Key Account Manager), Vikas Bhilare (Manager of Cargo Sales), and Mikhail Mascarenhas (Manager of Cargo Sales), were also present there to represent one of the illustrious GSA companies.
When speaking with Gretta, she emphasized how crucial industry cooperation and interconnected systems are to the process of creating value for end users. She suggests standardized procedures for all airports, their simplification, the facilitation of the regulatory process, acceptance of transit cargo for all airports, acceptance of shipper-built units, and data analysis for exponential growth achieve the same.
Mikhail Mascarenhas discussed government actions and policies, emphasizing how these will support the industry’s growth. ULIP, the National Logistics Policy, the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, and the Krishi Udaan were among the reforms in the policy structure that he appreciated. He also emphasized the need for expansion in the agriculture and perishable goods sectors, a focus on underserved areas of India, such as tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and the use of technology to improve accessibility and exposure.
The keynote address by Mr. Glyn Hughes, director general of TIACA, piqued his interest in particular. “The concept of ‘value addition’ is something that really got my interest,” Mikhail continued. “It was an idea that remained on the table throughout the event, highlighting the importance of adding value to services, improving processes, and maximizing efficiency.”
In this chat, Vikas emphasized the crucial role that all parties—from the government to logistics service providers and manufacturers—play in developing the air cargo market. In the next years, he praised domestic freighter service providers like SpiceJet, Indigo, and Pradhaan Air for their contribution to increasing domestic freighter capacity. In order to improve visibility, monitoring, and analysis, he also emphasized the importance of automation and digitization.
Allied Aviation, a prominent member of the air cargo community, sincerely acknowledges and commends the government’s ongoing efforts in facilitating the growth and development of the industry. The organization firmly believes that collaboration and technology integration play pivotal roles in driving exponential growth in the air cargo sector. They recognize the significance of collaboration among various stakeholders, including government agencies, industry players, and relevant organizations. By fostering a spirit of collaboration, the air cargo community can collectively address challenges, share best practices, and leverage synergies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
