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Mumbai Exclusive—The
2012 air cargo trade show calendar kicked off with the fourth edition
of the Air Cargo India international trade fair and exhibition held
last week in Mumbai; India’s Civil Aviation Secretary, Nasim Zaidi,
launched the three-day event.
Here are some reactions to ACI, plus some
exclusive breaking news out of India.
 
Ram Menen
Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo
Emirates Airlines
“Air Cargo India is getting better and better with every event.
“Although the venue is still a bit
lacking, it was great to see the quality of participation from international
and local folks.
“I was quite impressed with the
fact that the cargo industry is now really coming out and promoting
itself.
“The quality of the conference was
also good, with lots of positive interaction at both business and social
levels.
“We had a lot of interaction with
customers.
“But I must say, given the challenges
of the infrastructure for conventions and exhibitions in Mumbai, the
Patras put on a great show.
“Attendance was impressive.
“What did not impress me was that
a lot of our foreign friends and colleagues could not attend because
of an inability to be issued visas in time to attend the event.
“The government of India has really
got to do something about the whole visa process.
“These delays and non-service creates
a drag on the positive sentiments the country has got in progressing
commerce.
“Most of the business interaction
we had at Air Cargo India was at our booth—it was back to back
interaction, especially for me... social events were also great. Sleep
time during the whole event was in short supply!
“Looking ahead, India, despite the
world-wide economic slowdown, is still loading its own and on its way
to enhancing its own role as a major economic power in the years to
come.
“It was good to hear from the representatives
of the government about the positive actions they are taking to support
the logistics industry, including their support for initiatives in the
e-freight/commerce field against the landscape of contrasting conditions.
“Against the background of various
layers of commerce moving at different speeds, the will and determination
is very positive.
“Next for us is the Intermodal in
Brazil (Sao Paolo) in April this year.”
 Helena
Haubova
Delta Airlines
Regional Manager Cargo Sales EMEIA.
“Air Cargo India was very well prepared
and organized.
“It was the first time in history
that Delta Cargo attended Air Cargo India, and consequently we received
very encouraging and positive responses from participants and visitors,
in a very positive atmosphere with interesting exhibitors.
“Business was done throughout the
whole event.
“This included pre-set meetings
as well as unexpected pop up visitors at our booth.
“It was my pleasure and privilege
to also share Delta’s cargo success story during the business
session on the second day of the exhibition.
“Evening programs were well suited
to meet in a relaxed atmosphere and continue strengthening new business
relationships.
“The most important ‘take
away’ was the assurance that India and its government, aviation
authorities, and various cargo organizations are in full speed to building
a solid and very modern infrastructure for air cargo business in the
near future.
“This includes all stake holders,
cargo warehouses with special handlings like cool chain for Pharma products,
trucking networks, and many more.
“It only reassured us in our focus
on air cargo in India and that it will continue to play an important
part of our cargo strategy going forward.”
Alex McRoberts
Senior VP, Africa
Worldwide Flight Services, Inc.
“Air Cargo India 2012, held Feb
1-3 in Mumbai, India, was a great location for the event from a business
opportunity perspective; however, on the negative side it seems that
the strict visa requirements to enter the country might have caused
some problems with individuals and negatively impacted the overall numbers
of attendees.
“The show was again well organized
and everything ran smoothly for us.
“Attendance seemed surprisingly
low on day one and the exhibition hall frequently seemed empty.
“The second day was better attended,
which was very good, and surprisingly the final day of the show was
equally well attended.
What’s more rewarding? A sponsored honorarium or late dinner.
Here Mr Rajeev Shah, (left) CEO of IBS presents the award for best cargo
handler to Alex McRoberts, accepting on behalf of all Worldwide Flight
Services employees.
“The quality of the speakers and
the content of the presentations was, as usual, very high, and audience
participation was good.
“The first evening's organized entertainment
was very enjoyable and an excellent opportunity for further networking.
“The Gala Awards Dinner followed
the usual pattern of a mixture of awards and entertainment followed
by the dinner itself.
“Looking around Mumbai, we were
impressed by the friendliness and ever 'willingness to help' attitude
of the locals.
“This certainly contributed to making
the whole event a most pleasurable experience.
“In common with previous events
of this kind where WFS has taken a stand at the event, the WFS stand
was a key attraction for visitors to the show, acting as a kind of magnet
for people to come onto the stand to enjoy the food, drink and hospitality
being offered.
“For this reason, much of the business
conducted by WFS is done at the stand itself.
“ACI was no exception to this; a
number of existing customers, potential customers, and other key individuals
came onto the stand throughout the three days and began discussing new
opportunities with us right out of the blue!
“This is precisely what these events
are all about!
“But I think for us what worked
the best was an opportunity to gain a greater and more detailed understanding
of how business is conducted across India.
“WFS currently has operations in
Delhi, but this event proved to be a superb opportunity to find out
a lot more about air cargo in the Mumbai area and other areas of Western
and Southern India. We had many visitors onto the WFS stand from the
local air cargo industry who were able to provide some detailed insights
into how the various airports are controlled, how they operate, where
things are constrained, and where the opportunities exist.”
 Peter
Scholten
Vice President Commercial
Saudi Airlines Cargo.
“Air Cargo India was quite good,
though the number of forwarders and shippers attending could be much
higher.
“Many foreign visitors couldn't
get visas to visit India, which resulted in a lower attendance too.
“Most airlines, including Saudi
Airlines Cargo, organized their own client events where the attendance
of forwarders was very high.
“The level of discussions at the
various panels was impressive and the confidence people have in the
strength of the India air cargo market is high.
“Most business was conducted on
the show floor, but of course a lot of networking took place during
the various functions in the evening.
“The takeaway from BOM this past
week is better understanding of the diversity of the India market.
“Each major city in India seems
to have an entire different market outlook.
“They are major differences in the
approach to cargo between the various airports in the country.
“Furthermore, the show confirmed
that everybody expects that 2012 will be tough year.
“The next event we are attending
is IATA World Cargo Symposium in Kuala Lumpur in March.”
GeoffreyFlossie
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