THE air transport industry is a key enabler of Malaysia and Penang’s economy for supporting sectors such as manufacturing and tourism, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
Despite the impact of Covid-19 on global air travel, the air cargo industry is still very much in the spotlight after seeing a return to air travel, albeit with costlier airfares.
“Based on statistics by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), it was found that the air transport industry supported 604,000 jobs and accounted for USD 15.7 billion in Malaysian gross domestic product (GDP) before the pandemic.
“It is also noteworthy that air cargo is essential to sustain global supply chains from transporting the latest handphones and multimedia gadgets to transporting temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals in the best conditions, using cutting-edge technologies and procedures,” Chow said in his speech before launching the Air Cargo Day 2023 at the Amari SPICE Penang hotel in Bayan Lepas today.
The two-day programme, which officially kickstarted today with the participation of key players from the air transport industry, was jointly organised by IATA and the Penang Freight Forwarders Association (PFFA).
Chow, during his speech, also thanked the organisers for choosing Penang to host this programme as it fulfils the requirements of a state that has excelled in investments over the past years.
“It is hoped that all of you present here will be thoroughly engaged during these two days, providing insights and discussions on the latest air cargo trends, as well as new cargo innovations and initiatives to better prepare Malaysia and Penang-based air cargo logisticians for the future.
“I am confident that the delegates will benefit from these sessions and the networking opportunities in between,” Chow added.
He also described the event as a timely boost to address the ongoing issue of lacking true digital integration by the air cargo industry.
“This situation prevents stakeholders from a truly efficient collaboration, creates a reliance on manual processes, and lacks door-to-door visibility and transparency from customers’ point of view.
“That is why this programme, organised by, PFFA and IATA, will play a key role to address these challenges, by leading the industry with end-to-end supply chain collaboration on the development of innovative technologies, streamlined processes and global standards,” he said.
In addition, Chow said the cargo community in Penang is closely monitoring the future expansion that is expected to take place at the Penang International Airport.
“This was due to the current congestion faced by both the MAS Cargo Centre and the Second Air Cargo Complex.
“The Penang Development Corporation has engaged consultancy services for a feasibility study, preparation of a master plan and liaising with potential investors for the creation of distribution parks.
“Three main areas have been identified, namely next to the PIA, Batu Kawan Industrial Park (BKIP) and the Batu Kawan Industrial Park 3 (BKIP 3),” Chow added.
Also present during the event earlier were PFFA president Krishnan Chelliah and IATA Southeast Asia area manager Yuli Thompson.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix and video by Siew Chia En