Delhi Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on, and promote, cargo business between them. The MoU’s scope includes business promotion, product development, knowledge sharing, training, performance benchmarking and regulatory agency cooperation. It is intended to enhance Delhi’s and India’s logistic capabilities at a global level.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Delhi, I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, DIAL (owner of Delhi Airport, and a consortium led by the GMR Group) shared his vision for cargo business at Delhi Airport, stating: “DIAL is committed to add value to the air freight community and the supply chain. We aim to make Indian trade much more competitive in the global market.
“In line with our Hon. Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’, we are at the cusp of history for the next stage in our economic growth. We have created world class infrastructure at Delhi and are at the right moment to partner with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to bring our product onto a par with global standards.”
Enno Osinga, SVP Cargo, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol echoed the sentiments: “Amsterdam can be a Global Gateway for Indian goods destined for mainland Europe, as well as other markets including the USA, Africa and Latin America; Schiphol offers 319 destinations in 95 countries across the Globe.
“We will build a trade lane between Amsterdam and Delhi, making Delhi a hub and a global gateway. We will work with our friends in Delhi to take air cargo business on this lane to the next levels of business efficiency and operational excellence.”
He added that Schiphol sees Delhi Airport as one of the very few global airports which have a robust cargo strategy in place, and it therefore regards Delhi Airport as a natural ally.
DIAL’s chief commercial officer-Aero, Pradeep Panicker, confirmed that Delhi Airport will continue to invest in new product lines to give an edge to its valued customers, and to be seen as their business partner rather than simply a service provider. He said that Delhi Airport traffic had grown approximately 19 per cent over the past year.
Delhi Airport’s head of cargo, Sanjiv Edward, claimed that this growth was ample proof that the airport had emerged as a major gateway. Customers had placed their trust in its cargo strategy and resources, incorporating its road feeder network, the Air Cargo Logistics Centre (ACLC), the promotion of eFreight and the establishment of a cargo community system.
“With the expertise of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, our products and strategy will only improve and enable customers to enjoy greater efficiencies in airfreight and across the supply chain,” he said.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol handled a record 1.63 million tonnes of cargo in 2014, up 6.7 per cent on the previous year. Pharmaceutical products from India form a growing element of its throughput. Delhi Airport handled 679,841 tonnes of cargo in 2014, up 12.24 per cent in 2013.
