BANGLADESH garment exporters must find another way to move their urgent international shipments after India closed a popular transshipment route via Kolkata and Delhi airports, reports the Dhaka Daily Star.
This route allowed Bangladeshi exporters to move goods overland to India through the Benapole-Petrapole border and then air freight them worldwide.
It became especially popular during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, offering faster service and, often, lower costs than relying on the overstretched Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.
Industry estimates suggest about 18 per cent of Bangladesh's garment air cargo was flown through Indian airports.
Bangladesh exported roughly 3,400 tonnes of garments by air a week, with 600 tonnes flown through Indian airports before the transshipment ban, according to data from the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association.
The government has acknowledged airport challenges and says reforms are underway. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said efforts were being made to reduce HSIA's ground handling costs and improve cargo services.
Commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin held meetings recently with relevant ministries to strengthen both Dhaka and Sylhet airports as viable export gateways.
Hope lies in the third terminal at HSIA, which industry leaders say features modern scanning, testing, and temperature-controlled facilities.
'The third terminal is the finest. It's just like the airport in Singapore,' said Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA).
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This route allowed Bangladeshi exporters to move goods overland to India through the Benapole-Petrapole border and then air freight them worldwide.
It became especially popular during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, offering faster service and, often, lower costs than relying on the overstretched Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.
Industry estimates suggest about 18 per cent of Bangladesh's garment air cargo was flown through Indian airports.
Bangladesh exported roughly 3,400 tonnes of garments by air a week, with 600 tonnes flown through Indian airports before the transshipment ban, according to data from the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association.
The government has acknowledged airport challenges and says reforms are underway. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said efforts were being made to reduce HSIA's ground handling costs and improve cargo services.
Commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin held meetings recently with relevant ministries to strengthen both Dhaka and Sylhet airports as viable export gateways.
Hope lies in the third terminal at HSIA, which industry leaders say features modern scanning, testing, and temperature-controlled facilities.
'The third terminal is the finest. It's just like the airport in Singapore,' said Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA).
SeaNews Turkey
