Dhaka air cargo drops after EU steps

Air freight from Dhaka to the European Union destinations has reportedly dropped one-third as the bloc, worried about security, requires Bangladesh to put goods under additional screening before loaded. The EU, on June 1, put Bangladesh on the list of the high-risk countries, which, officials said, contributed to the decline of the air cargo. It also asked Bangladesh to introduce explosive detection system (EDS) machines to ensure the security of cargo flights. Official sources said Turkish Airlines carried 42,175 kg of cargo on the Dhaka-to-EU routes during June 1-6 compared to 1,25,577 kg during May 25-30. During the period, Etihad cargo carrying dropped to 64,934 kg from 345,610 kg, Qatar Airways 537,586 kg from 568,250 kg, Saudi Arabian Airlines 425,481 kg from 114,325 kg and Emirates 144,518 kg from 360,079 kg. Mizanur Rahman, a clearing and forwarding agent at Shahjalal airport, said he had forwarded 400,000 kg air cargo from Dhaka last month. “But the scenario of the current month is not good at all due to screening complexities,” he told Dhaka Tribune. He feared that the air cargo forwarding in Dhaka would drop by 50% in June. An official of a foreign airlines, seeking anonymity, said as the EU asked the Bangladesh authorities to launch double-screening system for air cargo, the volumes declined. He said this has created massive troubles for Bangladeshi exporters due to lack of EDS machines for double-screening of cargo. “Bangladesh has introduced double-screening system using dog squads, but the process is a lengthy one. A trained dog can work up to 20 minutes, then it needs to take rest. So, until the EDS machines are installed, the air cargo from Dhaka won’t be normal,” the official said. Civil Aviation Association of Bangladesh (Caab) sources said the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) has taken initiative to form a dog squad while the force has been allotted space for the dog squad. Caab is expected to float an international tender to install double-screening system at the Shahjalal airport. Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon said the government has given the order to purchase two EDS machines which are expected to arrive in Dhaka in next month. Two more EDS machines will be bought from Japan. The people concerned hope that the current crisis will be resolved after installation of the EDS machines at the Shahjalal airport. He said until the system is in place, the cargo will be screened by trained dogs. Biman Bangladesh Airlines said it has incurred a loss of over Tk70 crore since the UK imposed a temporary ban on direct air cargo flights from Dhaka to London in March 2016, followed by the same decisions of Australia and Germany. The situation worsened after the EU threatened to take similar punitive measures against the country’s major airport.