The conference on air freight logistics held in HCM City on September 20 (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) - The Vietnamese air freight market has seen remarkable growthin recent years and the momentum is expected to continue, the 4th International Conference and Exhibition on Air FreightLogistics Vietnam heard in HCM City on September 20.
Tran Thanh Hai, deputydirector of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s import-export department, saidalong with the country’s economy, the aviation industry, especially logistics,too has made great progress.
According to the official, Vietnam's air cargo transport currently accounts for a very smallvolume of exports but 25 percent of value due to the specialised transportationof high-value items such as electronics, certain kinds of seafood and garmentand textiles.
Nguyen Cong Bang, deputy director ofthe Ministry of Transport’s transport department, said according to theInternational Air Transport Association, Vietnam isthe world’s seventh fastest growing aviation market.
“In the vision to 2035, Vietnam'saviation market is considered among the top five markets in terms of growth.The rapid development of the aviation market has strongly boosted thedevelopment of tourism and trade and attracted more investment in the countryin recent years,” Bang said.
According to him, the markethas great potential for development, and offers many opportunities for localand international firms in it.
Meanwhile, Hai spoke about the challenges the air cargo industry faces.
Nodomestic airliner has aircraft designed to carry goods in bulk. So Vietnameseexporters have to mainly rely on foreign firms for air cargo transport, he said, adding that only Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat out of more than 40 airports in the countryhave separate areas for cargo handling.
But despite these challenges, the air transport market has alot of potential, and both the Government and businesses need to have cleardevelopment strategies, according to Hai.
Otherdelegates said to prepare for the new age of logistics, companies needed ITsolutions to cut out redundant processes, be cost-efficient, and anticipatefuture standards.
Airports must have good technology and infrastructure systemsin place to meet air transport demand and take over competitors, they said.
Organised by the VietnamLogistics Business Association and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, the event brought together businessmen, key industryleaders and experts from over 350 companies and more than 35 airlines andairports in 30 countries and territories.
The biennial event also featured an exhibition with 50 boothsset up by local and foreign logistics services providers./.
