Accessing The Inaccessible

As a result of no territorial access to the seas, limited border crossings and transit dependence, landlocked countries are looking to air cargo for their future to increase their competitiveness on the global trade map. at the same time, air freight industry sees an opportunity of business in these countries.

- Twinkle Sahita

About one out of five countries in the world is landlocked, according to World Bank estimates. 20 of 54 low-income economies are landlocked, the majority of them in sub Saharan Africa, while only three of 35 high-income economies are landlocked (not including European micro states and dependencies). High prices have hit many countries around the world, but landlocked developing countries bear an extra burden. Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Burundi, and other countries without a port pay more and wait longer for imported oil, food, and other goods. And they have an equally hard time exporting, with the result that they trade less and grow more slowly than their coastal neighbors.

However, in the recent times, the trade sector is witnessing changing fortunes of landlocked countries as well as of air freight industry that sees an opportunity of business in these countries. With the start of air cargo corridor between India and Afghanistan, it is now estimated that the trade between the two countries would touch the $1 billion in the next three years from the current levels of $800 million. The first flight from Kabul took off on June 19 this year.

Analysing the air freight sector in Afghanistan, Liana Coyne, director, Coyne Airways, said, “The Afghan air cargo market can be divided into two parts: the first being military cargo for the Afghan and Coalition troops; the second being normal commercial traffic for ordinary people. Ideally, a decline in military air cargo would be matched by an increase in normal commercial air cargo. Unfortunately, I am not entirely confident that this will come to pass. despite the billions of dollars spent on Afghan reconstruction and Afghan business acumen, donors and enterprises can be easily spooked by ongoing insecurity on the ground and actual or perceived misappropriation.”