To help Industry with an easy movement of cargo on a daily basis, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Goa in the last six months has initiated several meetings with the Emirates Skycargo, discussed and deliberated with industry, Air cargo association, pharma association and others on the feasibility and operational aspects of logistics.
After several meetings with Government of Goa, Airport Authorities, Customs Authorities Emirates are now operationally ready to commence from Goa. Emirates Skycargo has shown keen interest to operate its cargo freighters aircraft from Goa International Airport Dabolim.
On an average 60 tonnes of Pharma is transported to Bombay or Bangalore on a daily basis to be exported out of India mainly to the US or European markets. Companies incur heavy trucking costs (Avg. Rs.40,000/per truck) and other interstate duties which can be avoided if shipments are exported directly out of Goa.
Emirates has reviewed the current facilities at Dabolim, and although there are infrastructural challenges, they are closely working with the Airport Authority of India to get some basic amenities sorted out to ensure that the cargo is handled correctly and product integrity is maintained. Emirates is a GDP certified airline ensuring pharma shipments will be handled as per the highest industry standards.
For Emirates to operate its first flight from Goa, they require a commitment of a minimum of 45 tonnes of exports per flight. To achieve this target, it needs to be a good mix of skidded cargo and lose cartons to optimise the aircraft space. Emirates is mainly attracted to the Pharma exports out of Goa to the US and Europe. Hence they would like to see a commitment from pharma companies for the first flight to announce the flight immediately. Once Emirates operates 2 or 3 flights, we can then have a mix of pharma, general cargo and Perishable products contribute to the exports.
Companies can also use the Emirates network to import their cargo directly into Goa from all over the world and avoid routing the same through other states. Having brand Emirates operating from Goa will develop Goa into one of the biggest logistics Hub in the region. This will also attract other businesses to set up shop generating revenue to the state and create employment opportunities for the youth of Goa.
Once the cargo flights are successfully operated out of Goa, CII-Goa and the GPMA will also engage with Emirates to operate passenger flights which would benefit all Goans who travel for leisure or Work and bring in Investors and tourists from across the globe giving a much-needed boost to the state economy.
