Minister forms an Inter-Ministerial Air Cargo Logistic Promotion Board

... need for meeting increased demand for Air Cargo Transportation and rapid delivery of goods underlined

New Delhi : The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India has formed an Inter-Ministerial Air Cargo Logistic Board headed by Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation. 

The Board will lay down the policy guidelines for setting up of air cargo facilities at airports and will also set performance standards relating to the quality of service in the air cargo logistic supply chain.

The Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh has set up the Board with an objectives to resolve inter-ministerial issues that affects the air cargo operations in the country.  The Board will review, on a continuous basis, the general and sectoral policy regime governing air cargo logistic operations and remove the bottlenecks to efficiency.

A 17-member Inter-Ministerial Air Cargo Logistic Board, headed by Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi, would take into account the need to handle increased demand for air cargo transportation and ensure rapid delivery of goods while working on the policy guidelines, an official statement said.

The Board, established by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, would set policy parameters for establishment of air cargo facilities, ensuring quality of service and review implementation of the policy regime on a regular basis.

The panel, which would have members from several ministries, departments and agencies, would find ways to resolve inter-ministerial issues affecting air cargo logistics operations. It would also lay down policy for setting up of air cargo facilities at airports, air freight stations and cargo villages and the guidelines for public private partnership model to develop these facilities, it added.

Broad framework of functions:

· To resolve Inter-Ministerial issues that affect the air cargo logistics operations in the country and to achieve better efficiency.

· To review, on a continuous basis the general and sectoral policy regimes governing Air Cargo Logistics operations with a view to remove bottlenecks to efficiency.

· To review and monitor the functioning of Cargo Facilitation Committee tha are headed by Airport Directors of AAI and other private / JV airports with a view to review the effectiveness of these bodies.

· To lay down policy guidelines for setting up of Air Cargo facilities at airports, air freight stations/cargo villages including guidelines for Public Private Partnership model of development of these facilities.

· To act as a coordinating agency to ensure expeditious clearance of the proposals for setting up of air cargo facilities at airports, air freight stations/cargo villages in the country subject to fulfillment of all statutory requirements.

· To lay down performance standards relating to quality of service in the air cargo logistics supply chain to be monitored by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) for implementation.

· To review the progress on development of major gateway airports as cargo hubs through facilitating transshipment

· To review periodically implementation of the proposals cleared by the Board.