Airfreight business booming

Private airfreight business in the country is now booming as domestic and international trade has grown in recent time, according to industry sources.Starting in 1998, seven local private airfreight companies are in operation both on domestic and international routes, carrying products and equipment of both private and public sectors. The operators carrying goods and equipment on domestic routes include Zoom Airlines, Voyager Airlines, MGH Airlines, Galaxy Airways and Best Air. These operators also make frequent international trips, the sector people said, adding that Bismillah Airlines and South Asian Airlines Ltd (SAAL) fly regularly on international routes, while others operate on domestic routes. "We operate at least one flight a week from Dhaka to China, carrying mainly live fish, crab, vegetables and other perishable items," said an official of SAAL, which operates a chartered flight with a carrying capacity of 20 tonnes.The official added that the company's aircraft carried relief goods of United Nations from Bangladesh to Tsunami ravaged areas. The industry insiders said besides exporting garments and perishable items, the private air transport is also used for carrying equipment used in the telecommunications sector. "The equipment used in telecom sector is too costly to carry by ship, said Ashraf Arafat, vice president (planning and development) of Bismillah Airlines. The official said they operate at least three flights a week, which increases to six in peak season. "We have three aircraft of our own along with four leased aircraft to carry cargo to different countries including China, Thailand, Dubai", said Arafat. On the domestic route the airfreight companies operate primarily between Cox's Bazar and Jessore, carrying mainly shrimp fry. The industry sources said mortality rate of shrimp fry decreased significantly due to the introduction of airfreight services from Cox's Bazar and Chittagong to Jessore. "Now it takes only a little more than one hour to carry shrimp to Jessore from Cox's Bazar, whereas before the introduction of the service a day and a half was needed to do the job. This achievement has contributed to the overall development of the shrimp sector," said Farhad Hossain, director (Marketing and Sales) of Best Aviation. "Not necessarily that we are making a huge profit, but we are contributing to the society since our service has created a huge impact on shrimp sector," said the official of Best Aviation, which claimed itself the pioneer in the airfreight service sector. The country's airfreight business is booming, said Amirul Islam Chowdhury, a proprietor of Transworld Logistics and Distribution, a freight forwarding company. "We take the services of private air cargos when we don't find space available in regular air lines. In peak seasons we consign our goods to Dubai or Singapore from Dhaka by private air cargos," he further said. There is a huge prospect for the expansion of private airfreight business to the neighboring countries, including landlocked Nepal and Bhutan, said M Haider Uzzaman, chairman of Best Aviation. The government should play its role in the development of the sector since it is now faced with the problem of oil price hike, said Haider Uzzaman, also convener of the recently formed Airlines Association of Bangladesh (AAB).