Thousands of tons of goods, including perishables, remain stranded as air freight rates skyrocket due to flight cancellations.
Thousands of tons of goods are stuck in airport warehouses. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The Iran-US conflict has disrupted the air cargo system, causing a massive delay of goods at Pakistan’s airports, including the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. Thousands of tonnes of goods are stuck in airport warehouses and major air cargo service providers have raised prices, with some charging double or triple the usual rates.
The conflict has seriously affected air cargo services. According to sources working at the airport, in the last five days, more than 700 flights have been canceled at Allama Iqbal International Airport and across the country. Shipments containing food products, fruits, vegetables, meat and other goods have not been able to leave the region for the past five days. Goods that were supposed to be shipped by air cargo from airports like Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot are stuck in warehouses.
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At Lahore Airport, around 200-300 tonnes of goods were previously shipped daily via air cargo to destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Now, goods are no longer moving and exporters are frustrated.
Goods stuck at the airport. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Companies handling these shipments have also significantly increased their rates, adding further difficulty for exporters.
Customs brokers are also facing unemployment, as many agents previously handled 200 to 300 tons of goods per day. According to a Riyadh customs official, no shipments have been sent in the past five days and agents are waiting in the hope that air routes will be restored soon. However, as the Iran-US conflict escalates, no clear solution is in sight.
Mansoor, director of an air cargo services company, said their goods had been sitting in their offices and airport hangars for the past five days.
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Reservations were made, but the flights were canceled at the last minute and as a result the goods did not reach Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. The few airlines that still provide air cargo services have more than doubled their rates, making it almost impossible to ship goods. These increasing costs make sending the cargo financially unfeasible.
Mansoor urged the government to take immediate action and restore air cargo services to enable the shipment of thousands of tonnes of goods stranded in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other airports. If these shipments are not shipped quickly, exporters will suffer millions of dollars in losses. Air cargo companies also demanded that the government consult with airlines and work towards the resumption of cargo services to avoid mass unemployment of thousands of families dependent on air cargo.
Mansoor said only a few shipments to European countries, the United States and Canada were sent, but they were also shipped at double normal rates out of necessity.
Apart from the losses suffered by airlines and cargo service providers, the government is also suffering a loss of billions of rupees in customs duties and taxes. While clothing and other items may be held for a week or two, the perishable situation is critical and long delays result in goods deteriorating.
