The situation in Qatar poses problems for Bangladesh air freight

28 June 2017

In early July, the Gulf States broke all economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar. This has affected air freight from that region. For example, increased security risks have meant that extra security measures must be taken. These lead to higher costs for importers and may result in delays. Air cargo from Bangladesh in particular is affected by this.

Additional scans may cause delays

Prior to departure from Bangladesh, goods are scanned by default. They are usually flown to Europe via a transit station, such as Dubai or Singapore. As a result of the current situation and the associated security risks, goods are now being scanned at this (first) transfer stop. This means that all pallets must be offloaded, scanned and loaded again. This additional handling costs extra time.

Supplements and raised tariffs

For the extra scan at the first transit station, a supplement has been applied. On average this is $0.12 to $0.15 per kilo. All air freight providers add this to their bill. Sometimes this is worked into the tariff, while others calculate this separately.

Situation is unpredictable

Unfortunately, it cannot be said how long this situation will continue. It is completely dependent on political developments in the region. As always, we will personally keep you up to date on any developments that are of interest to you.