ACFI constitutes a new board and appoints Yashpal Sharma as its new President

The "Air Cargo Forum India" - ACFI is an association of all key stakeholders of Air Cargo Logistics Supply Chain Industry consisting of Airlines, Airport Operators, Cargo Terminal Operators, Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers, Express Industry, Bonded Truckers, etc. Its objective is to steer and promote the development of air cargo logistics industry in India and make it at par with the best Air Cargo ecosystems of the world. It is one of a kind and the only nationwide association that has representation in the Governing Board from all stakeholders of the industry. ACFI has been working very closely with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on its vision to achieve the goal of taking Indian air space to 10 million MT by 2030-31 from the current 3.1 million MT.

During the 10th ACFI Annual Event held in May 2022, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia himself stated that Air Cargo had started as an underdog during the pandemic. However, it has now emerged as a game-changer and has ably adopted to the changing environment. It is now time for the entire cargo community to push the pedals harder and ensure they succeed in achieving the vision 2030-31. He also appreciated the efforts of ACFI towards the growth of the Indian Air Cargo industry.

The Governing Board for 2022-24 include some most prominent names of the industry as follows:

President Yashpal Sharma (Managing Director, Skyways Group); Vice President Sanjay Edward (Chief Commercial Officer, Delhi International Airport Limited); Hon. Secretary Ramesh Mamidala (Chief Cargo Officer Adani Airport Holdings Limited); Hon. Treasurer Arun Kumar (Managing Director, InSynergy Supply Chain Solutions Private Limited); and Ex Officio or Immediate Past President Cyrus Katgara (Partner, Jeena & Company); along with the Board members namely Abdulla Ali Al Khallafi (Cargo Manager at India & Nepal Emirates SkyCargo); Ajith Pai (Chief Operating Officer at Delhivery Private Limited); Avinash Razdan (Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Cargo Service Center Private Limited); Kamesh Peri (Chief Executive Officer, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Private Limited); Keku Bomi Gazder (Managing Director and CEO, Aviapro Logistics Services Private Limited); Nipun Aggarwal (Chief Commercial Officer, Air India Limited); Satish Lakkaraju (Senior Vice President, Radar Ventures Pvt. Ltd. (Wiz Freight)); Saurabh Kumar (Chief Executive Officer

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo); and Shantanu Bhadkamkar (Managing Director, ATC Global Logistics Private Limited).

Commenting on his prestigious new role Yashpal Sharma, the newly elected President said "I would like to thank my co-founding Members, Past Presidents, the ACFI secretariat and all board members of the past, for their invaluable and passionate contribution to ACFI and the air cargo community. It would be my utmost endeavour to work with the new board members and focus to achieve the Vision and Objectives of ACFI. While we have aligned ourselves to MoCA's target of 10 MMT by 2030-31 but it would need a determined effort from all of us to galvanize process improvements, sync all stakeholders including Government agencies and set short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and more importantly execute them to perfection within the set timelines."

Yashpal Sharma a well-known name in the logistics industry is the MD of Skyways Group which offers a wide spectrum of logistics and supply chain services including air freight, ocean freight, road transport and express services to name a few. Skyways Group is a leading freight forwarding company that is internationally known for being the No. 1 Indian Air Freight Forwarder for the past few years. Sharma is also the former President of the Air Cargo Club Of Delhi (ACCD).

"There is a huge shift in people's mindset in the logistics sector and they want to move towards ease of doing business. The industry will be strengthened by improved infrastructure and become more effective by adopting digitization and with our PM's Gati Shakti the government of India is focusing immensely on the logistics and air cargo industry. Our aim is to position Air Cargo as the choicest mode of transportation in India and make it globally admired for its efficiency," said Sanjiv Edward, the newly elected ACFI Vice President.

Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) was established on September 14, 2012, with a powerful and forward-looking vision. "The Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) envisages to build world-class environmental friendly air logistics industry by innovation, allied action with credibility and providing business facilitation to boost the Indian economy."

ACFI is a common platform for each stakeholder in the air cargo sector who can work collectively in a positive direction for addressing major industry challenges. This prestigious body consists of stakeholders from across the industry including Airlines, Airport Operators, Cargo Terminal Operators, Courier and Express Operators, Custom Brokers, Freight Forwarders, Bonded Truck Operators, General Sales Agents, Integrators, Domestic Cargo Operators, etc.

All stakeholders work in complete alignment with various Government agencies and Ministries. ACFI is progressing well on its path to develop India's major airports as cargo gateway airports and promote them as major international transit cargo hubs.

Its endeavour is to facilitate trade in air mode of transport and ensure ease of doing business in the processing of EXIM trade through simplified air cargo processing. It also aims to bring best industry practices to the Indian air cargo landscape.

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