The new air freight station at the Central Warehousing Corporation, Virugambakkam, in Chennai will become operational within a month.
C. Rajan, commissioner of Customs (Airport), said cargo from aircraft landing at the air cargo complex at Meenambakkam would be sent to the freight station.
The facility would help to reduce congestion at the air cargo complex, besides expediting clearance of imported cargo and minimising handling operations at the airport.
Human remains, live animals, live human organs, cargo of perishable nature and diplomatic cargo would be cleared at the air cargo complex or at the airport itself. Unaccompanied baggage would also be cleared at the complex.
The airlines should be responsible for imported goods until they were handed over to the custodian at the freight station. The airlines should ensure that the imported cargo at the airport was cleared for transhipment within eight hours of the arrival of aircraft, he said.
To curb Customs duty evasion and to prevent smuggling, Customs officials had been empowered to inspect the goods under transhipment at any point of time.
Initially, the facility would be available only for imported cargo. Later, it would also house export cargo.
The freight station would be connected to the air cargo complex under the Electronic Data Interchange System.
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