‘Lack of freighters slows down international air cargo growth’

M Afzal Malbarwala, MD, Galaxy Freight, said, “The shortage of dedicated freighters is a bottleneck in India’s air cargo growth story. With the surge in e-commerce and pharma shipments, freighters are essential to ensure timely and reliable cargo movement. India air cargo market is expanding rapidly, and demand will continue to rise. Despite this, we operate about 17 registered freighters — fewer than the nations whose exports are not growing as fast as ours. K Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, has urged the airlines to expand their freighter fleets, as this capacity is critical for sustaining India’s export momentum and meeting future demand.”