According to industry experts, air freight from India has
more than doubled in recent months, a trend directly attributed to the Red Sea
crisis. This surge follows a period of recovery post-Covid, where air cargo
volumes had already rebounded to the peak levels of 3.5 MT seen in 2017-18.
“Less than 2
per cent of freight globally moves by air,” Sharma noted at the ACFI Annual Conclave 2024.
“With the Red Sea crisis, even a half percent shift will result in a
significant increase in air cargo volumes.
India has a tremendous opportunity, but we must
address these challenges, particularly the current 2-2.5 day trans-shipment
time.”
India’s air freight market presents a unique profile,
with international imports, exports, and domestic cargo each accounting for
roughly a third of total volume. Notably,
only 15 per cent of air cargo is transported by dedicated freighter aircraft,
with the remainder carried in the belly of passenger planes.
The sector has seen significant fluctuations in recent
years. Piyush
Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor in the aviation ministry,
reported that the number of freighter
aircraft in India rose from 6 pre-Covid to 28 during the pandemic, before
settling at the current fleet of 18. “The government facilitated the
conversion of passenger aircraft to freighters, and numerous steps have been
taken to boost the sector. However, to compete with rail and road transport, we
must streamline processes and improve turnaround times”, Srivastava explained.
Despite these positive trends, there’s still room for
growth. Surendra
Kumar, Joint Secretary (logistics and trade) at DPIIT, revealed
that while 70 airports have cargo
facilities, many are underutilised due to inadequate integration with other
transport modes.