THE Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is pushing for a more accelerated cargo transportation regime, noting that as the global trend.
CAB deputy executive director Carmelo L. Arcilla, during last week’s PortCalls-organized Cargo Economics Conference, said the country is losing out on opportunities offered by the cargo business."The phase of air cargo is very quick, fast outpacing the passenger side of the business," he said.He cited several factors which makes the cargo industry viable for liberalization. The business relies heavily on multimodal transport, allowing for more flexible operations.
Also, it has a limited synergy with the passenger market, which is susceptible to policy restrictions and requirements. "Cargo operations have different constraints with passenger operations," he said. According to Arcilla, cargo industry players in Asia are already seeking liberalized cargo market access. Thailand has just signed an cargo open skies agreement with the US. India is also eyeing the same, he noted.
Last year, the Association of South East Asian Nations member countries, save for Myanmar and Laos, signed a memo-randum of agreement committing another 100 tons of car-goes per week.
