Bangladesh apparel exporters face soaring air-freight costs: Reports

Media reports maintained this citing the relevant sources while adding exporters are facing the brunt of rising export costs this March, grappling with additional hurdles of trucking cargoes up to New Delhi for air-shipment amidst congestion at Dhaka airport.

Freight-forwarders revealed airlines operating from Dhaka to various European states are now levying between $4.0 and $4.80 per kilogram of goods, a surge from $3.5 in February and $2.0 in January.

However, rates for transporting export goods to the United States remain steady in March, hovering between $4.20 and $4.50 per kilogram.

Nasir Ahmed Khan, director of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BFFA), noted a significant surge in demand for air-shipment towards European destinations this March, further straining the limited carrying capacity of airlines, thereby escalating freight rates.

The absence of freighter planes in Dhaka due to one-way traffic and limited import activity via air exacerbated the capacity shortage, compelling Bangladeshi exporters to rely on costly air-shipments even as some export cargoes are transhipped through Delhi International Airport, facilitated since February last year, with around 8,000 tonnes of Bangladeshi cargoes transhipped to European destinations in the past year.

Insecurity along major sea routes in the Red Sea area and the Middle East, causing extended voyage times for ships, are compelling exporters to opt for air-shipment to meet delivery deadlines.

This trend, along with increased risk alerts and transit time delays, accentuated pressure on exporters and drove up freight costs.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Shahidullah Azim, managing director of Classic Fashion Concept Ltd., underscored the heightened pressure on exporters, attributing it to prolonged transit times via sea routes and the preference for air-shipment amidst geopolitical tensions.

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