Concor Air, an incorporated company under Container Corporation of India, is to run the cargo terminal at the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai from the new year, but the move has been met with opposition from the air cargo operators, according to the Shipping Gazette.
The GVK group, which runs Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) and has the exclusive rights to operate cargo terminals at the airport, has informed the trade about the change, The Hindu of Chennai reported.
MIAL invited bids to appoint a concessionaire to handle international cargo operations for three years, following which Concor Air was appointed to handle all international cargo, the trade notice said.
Secretary-General of Air Cargo Agents' Association of India, Firdos Fanibanda, explained that Concor has no expertise in running an air cargo business. "This is a sad day for the industry. Either they are finding the business not lucrative enough to handle and want to cut cost or they are incapable of handling and do not have enough expertise," he added.
The trade will suffer as there is no clarity in the deal. Responsibilities have not been assigned and their cost will increase. The government should re-examine this decision as this is going to affect the economy, the report said.
Mumbai airport handles 40 per cent of the country's air cargo, Mr Fanibanda said, adding that the change of guard will not benefit the trade as the contract has been awarded on 'as-is-where-is' basis.
-
Company DirectoryFreight RateExport RateAgency PartnershipCargo Leads