From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Sep 11: As part of its vision to make Kempegowda International Airport, here, a successful cargo hub, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has recently opened India’s first on-Airport Public Bonded Warehouse.
Operated by Cargo Service Center (CSC), the 10,000 sq ft warehouse facility will be under the jurisdiction of the city commissionerate, Bengaluru customs. This facility will reduce supply chain costs and facilitate trade at India’s IT hub and surrounding regions.
The Public Bonded Warehouse will help re-export of goods, long-term storage of bonded cargo, assist in partial clearances and allow value-added services such as labelling, packing and repacking services.
"Our vision is to make BIAL, a cargo hub, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and cutting-edge technology to deliver efficient operations," said Satyaki Raghunath, chief strategy & development officer, BIAL.
In order to simplify processes and meet customer demands with the help of key stakeholders, including the Bengaluru customs, BIAL has taken this step to set up India’s first on-campus Public Bonded Warehouse.
"This demonstrates BIAL’s commitment to support the airport cargo community, as well as bolster the growth of BLR Airport as a cargo hub,” he said.
Due to the presence of IT and BT companies, multinational companies and retail brands, Bengaluru handles a large volume of imports. The new facility will play a significant role in boosting the economy of the region, by improving trade and connecting markets around the world.
BIAL has become the busiest and most preferred cargo terminal for manufacturers in South India.
“We are thrilled to partner with BIAL as an operator of the new Public Bonded Warehouse. CSC is the largest cargo service provider in India, with a presence in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. We already have a footprint at BIAL as an operator of the cargo village at the airport," said Tushar Jani, group chairman, CSC.
He said BIAL has tremendous potential to become the cargo hub for South India, and at CSC, we are excited to be part of this transformation.
BIAL processed 99,154 MT of cargo in the first five months between April and August 2020, recording a 92% growth in cargo air traffic movements. It offers the largest air cargo terminal in south India, with a handling capacity of 570,000 MT and an average travel time of nine hours from major manufacturing clusters across South India.
BIAL is emerging as the preferred cargo gateway for industries from the region, making it the third busiest cargo airport in the country and the busiest in south India.
To bring further efficiencies into cargo operations, BIAL recently announced the implementation of the Air Cargo Community System (ACS) to streamline the air logistics supply chain.
This digital platform will enable seamless collaboration between all stakeholders in the supply chain to deliver superior and efficient cargo operations at BIAL.