FREIGHT is reportedly spilling over Air India’s (AI) export warehouse at the old airport here.
As many as 70 trucks laden with export cargo, ranging from electronic components to perishable goods, have had to return because the warehouse has not been accepting fresh consignments since pending cargo is not cleared. Cargo bookings have thus slowed down.
There are also inadequate personnel to handle the increasing consignments that are offloaded as well as to scan them. The warehouse of Air India handles export cargo for Singapore Airlines, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways, Saudia, Gulf Air and Oman Air. It can handle 200 trucks a day. While over 100 arrive every day, just 60 manage to unload their wares. The rest are turned back, it is learnt.
Since the airline’s security personnel (who conduct the scanning) come to work only in the evenings, there is hardly any movement of cargo in the mornings and afternoons. The cargo pile-up (for scanning) prevents unloading of fresh consignments, one clearing agent explained. Since there are just 25 loaders between 2 pm and 11 pm and 10 between 11 am and 6 am, the agents want the number of loaders to be increased to 50 at least.
Source: Exim News Service, Chennai, 11 July 2010