Asian – Dispatch

Bangladesh plans to introduce artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies for rapid cargo clearance at airports as the government seeks to modernise the aviation sector and heal chronic hassles in goods handling.

Civil aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanom has said the government wants Bangladesh to move beyond simply adopting technology developed elsewhere and instead take a leading role in applying new technologies to aviation.

Bangladesh plans to introduce artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies for rapid cargo clearance at airports as the government seeks to modernise the aviation sector and heal chronic hassles in goods handling.

Civil aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanom has said the government wants Bangladesh to move beyond simply adopting technology developed elsewhere and instead take a leading role in applying new technologies to aviation.

The meeting, held Monday at the commerce ministry with Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir presiding, focused on plans to build temporary and permanent warehouses to increase cargo-handling capacity.

Khanom said the government was working to transform Biman Bangladesh Airlines into a safer, more modern and efficient organisation, through resolving longstanding technical and infrastructure problems on priority.

She called for administrative procedures to be simplified and for decisions to be implemented quickly while maintaining transparency and accountability.

The meeting discussed seven possible sites for temporary warehouses and four locations for permanent facilities to help ease the immediate pressure on airport cargo operations.

The government is also considering an AI-based system to help identify imported goods more quickly.

Officials discussed developing cold-storage facilities to speed up the import and export of pharmaceutical products, as well as preparing guidelines for ground-handling operations.

Another issue under discussion was how to ensure that notices of arriving cargo reach importers as quickly as possible, reducing delays between the arrival of consignments and their collection.

The commerce minister said responsibility for airport infrastructure and its management rested with the relevant authorities, while customs is responsible for verifying the legality of imported and exported goods, declarations, documentation and duties.

“Warehouse construction and infrastructure management are not among the core responsibilities of customs,” Muktadir said. Once the necessary infrastructure was provided, customs would conduct its operations there.

Although airport cargo management does not fall directly under the commerce ministry, Muktadir said, an efficient system is closely linked to Bangladesh’s trade and export ambitions.

He highlighted the importance of modern cargo facilities to expanding trade with the European Union and assured the meeting that the commerce ministry would provide the necessary cooperation.

The push comes as Bangladesh seeks to strengthen its logistics infrastructure and reduce the delays and costs that have long affected the movement of goods through its airports.

For exporters, particularly those handling time-sensitive products such as medicines, faster cargo processing could be critical to maintaining competitiveness in international markets.

The meeting was attended by commerce secretary Md Ataur Rahman, civil aviation and tourism secretary Fahmida Akhter, NDC, the managing director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, and senior officials from the National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Bank and other ministries and agencies.

Source: The Financial Express