Delhi Airport welcomed the first batch of transshipment cargo from Bangladesh on March 3

Delhi Airport welcomed the first batch of transshipment cargo from Bangladesh, on Friday, paving the way for a faster and cost-effective route of shipping export cargo internationally. Transshipment hubs are points wherein the ports of origin and destination of the air cargo are located outside the boundaries of the country.

Delhi Airport received approval from the Government of India on February 7, 2023, allowing DIAL to serve as a Cargo Transshipment hub between Bangladesh and other global destinations for export cargo. The first batch, which left Dhaka on February 26, reached the Delhi Airport on March 3 and will take off for its destined location in Spain on March 5.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been calling for the sector to undertake efforts to make India a transshipment hub for air cargo, given the country’s ideal location serving as a mid-point between Europe, Central Asia and South East Asia, Far East Asia.

The move will boost trade ties between India and Bangladesh and will increase business prospects in both countries.

Bangladesh has emerged as a global manufacturing hub for ready-made garments, over the years. The new route of transportation is further expected to create new vistas of opportunity for the South Asian country. Since Bangladeshi manufacturers rely heavily on India for raw materials including threads, textiles, jute, leather, and pharmaceutical raw materials, any boost in exports will directly result in an increase in demand for produced-in-India raw materials in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi RMG (Ready made garments) products are especially in demand in Germany, the United Kingdom, France,Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, parts of Eurasia, and in the USA. With Delhi Airport’s direct connectivity to most European nations, this route will further boost the Indian government’s initiative of helping reach countries of the Indian sub-continent to their full potential.

To ensure ease of doing business, DIAL has created a special truck docking facility and a dedicated X-ray area for the swift transfer of cargo to their outbound locations.

Delhi Airport is the largest Cargo Hub Airport in the South Asia region, with two integrated cargo terminals having an annual cargo handling capacity of 1.8 million MT, which is scalable to 2.3 million MT.

The cargo handling capacity of the Delhi Airport gives it a unique position to help cater to manufacturers and suppliers internationally, and especially in South East Asia, for a faster and cost-effective way to ship their cargo across western nations.