Published: 7/24/1998

All cargo-handling operations at Moscow Domodedovo airport have been stopped due to a lack of goods being delivered to the airport, a freight carrier official told ConCISe. This is a consequence of the State Customs Committee's recent regulations that introduced a new procedure for handling goods airlifted through Russia's customs border controls. The regulations, intended for the heads of regional customs directorates and chief customs officers, aim to improve the collection of customs duties and to prevent frauds in customs declarations. The document ensures a thorough customs inspection. However, "the good intentions to establish proper order in this issue may mean huge losses for airfreight carriers," said Anatoly Kondratyev, president of the Russian Association of Airfreight Operators. The new procedure consumes much more time, which causes substantial financial losses to air carriers, he said. The domestic airfreight industry began taking shape about seven years ago and is one of the most dynamically developing sectors in air transport. According to the Federal Aviation Service's official data, airfreight carriage has been increasing, despite the decline in passenger traffic. Airfreight traffic volume increased by 21% in 1997 compared with the previous year. However, the lack of a stable legal framework and changing rules regulating this industry may result in Russian carriers' being squeezed out by foreign companies, which are granted "certain privileges compared with domestic ones," Kondratyev warned. (IN798.4) (VZ)  

Article ID: 210