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Bengaluru gets India’s first On-Airport public bonded warehouse

The facility — covering an area of 10,000 square feet — is expected to help re-export of goods, in long-term storage of bonded cargo, to assist in partial clearances, and to allow labeling, packing, and repacking services.

The Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) which operates the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) Friday announced the opening of the On-Airport Public-bonded warehouse, claiming to be India’s first airport to do so.

“In order to simplify processes and meet customer demands with the help of key stakeholders, including the Bengaluru Customs, BIAL has taken this step to set up India’s first on-campus Public Bonded Warehouse,” Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, BIAL told Indianexpress.com.

The facility — covering an area of 10,000 square feet — is expected to help re-export of goods, in long-term storage of bonded cargo, to assist in partial clearances, and to allow labeling, packing, and repacking services.

While the warehouse facility will be under the jurisdiction of the City Commissionerate, of Bengaluru Customs, it is also regarded to reduce supply chain costs and facilitate trade at India’s IT hub and surrounding regions. With IT & Biotechnology (BT) companies, multinational firms, and retail brands in Bengaluru handling a large volume of imports, experts add that the new facility will play a significant role in boosting the economy of the region. Bengaluru Airport is also regarded as the busiest cargo terminal for manufacturers in South India.

At the same time, Group Chairman of Cargo Service Center (CSC) India Private Limited Tushar Jani said, “We are thrilled to partner with BIAL as an operator of the new Public Bonded Warehouse at BLR Airport. The Airport has tremendous potential to become the cargo hub for South India.”

Meanwhile, KIA had processed 99,154 MT of cargo between April and August 2020, recording a 92 per cent growth in Cargo Air Traffic Movements. With a handling capacity of 570,000 MT and an average travel time of nine hours from major manufacturing clusters across south India, the cargo terminal at Bengaluru is also the largest in the region.

According to BIAL officials, BLR Airport is emerging as the preferred cargo gateway for industries from the region, making it the third busiest Cargo Airport in the Country and the busiest in South India.

BIAL officials added that the recently announced Air Cargo Community System (ACS) in the Aiport has contributed towards streamlining the air logistics supply chain. “This digital platform has enabled seamless collaboration between all stakeholders in the supply chain to deliver superior and efficient cargo operations at the BLR Airport,” a spokesperson of the Airport said.