Dhaka gets first time transit access to Delhi airport for export

Bangladesh has got access to Delhi airport to export commodities to Europe and other countries in the befitting manner.

The development came following meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on the sidelines of G-20 meeting on Friday.

Delhi Airport welcomed the first batch of transshipment cargo from Bangladesh, paving the way for a faster and cost-effective route of shipping export cargo internationally.

Transshipment hubs are points wherein the ports of origin and destination of the air cargo are located outside the boundaries of the country.

Delhi Airport received approval from the Government of India to serve as a Cargo Transshipment hub between Bangladesh and other global destinations for export cargo.

The first batch of consignments from Dhaka reached the Delhi Airport on March 3 and took off for its destined location in Spain on March 5.

India was trying to make a transshipment hub for air cargo, given the country's ideal location serving as a midpoint between Europe, Central Asia, South East Asia and far East Asia.

Bangladesh is the first country to get access of the Delhi Airport. Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam met Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal seeking follow-up to the transit facilities.

Both sides agreed that the move will boost trade ties between India and Bangladesh and will increase prospects in both countries.

For the last decades, Bangladesh has emerged as a global manufacturing hub for readymade garments. The new route of transportation is further expected to create new avenues of opportunity for the South Asian country. Bangladesh manufacturers rely on India for raw materials including threads, textiles, cotton and pharmaceutical raw materials.

Any boost in exports will directly result in an increase in demand for Indian raw materials in Bangladesh. Thus, Dhaka wants a steady supply of raw material.

After getting access to Delhi airport, Dhaka now can easily export their products in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy Netherlands, Denmark, parts of Eurasia and in USA.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen met his counterpart of Spain when he was for G-20 meeting.

Delhi Airport for the ease of doing business has created a special truck docking facility and a dedicated X-ray area for the quick transfer of cargo to their outbound locations.

Delhi Airport is the largest Cargo Hub Airport in the South Asia region, with two integrated cargo terminals having an annual cargo handling capacity of 1.8 million Metric tonne, which can ultimately handle 2.3 million metric tonne.