Air cargo must keep flowing despite Covid-19 snags, says IATA

Dar es Salaam. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for a coordinated approach among governments to keep air cargo flowing as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic.

IATA says on its website that delays in permit approvals, quarantine measures for air cargo crew and not enough support on the ground, continue to hamper the movement of cargo flights carrying vital medical supplies and other necessities.

In Tanzania, where the aviation industry has also been largely affected by the pandemic, authorities say they are already complying with the IATA recommendations.

On permit approvals, as recommended by the global aviation body, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has assured airlines of a fast issuance of permits.

The TCAA Director General, Mr Hamza Johari, said processing of the permit cannot take more than two hours from the time of submission if the applicant meets the requirements.

“Internal processes for flight permits is simple as long as the permit request has the all required attachments intact and valid,” Mr Johari told The Citizen, adding that most of delays are usually attributable to insufficiency in submissions by some applicants.

“Aviation is very highly regulated, thus safety is always number one, so any deficiencies in permit applications cannot be skipped,” said Mr Johari.

He said there are experts available at airports to assist in cargo clearance in case of agricultural- related cargo, livestock- related cargo, animal and plant related cargo, customs- related cargo and medical-related cargo.

While the sky is closed for commercial passenger scheduled and non-scheduled flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic, cargo flights are allowed into Tanzania.

However, the crew must be quarantined for the period of their stay in case of their aircraft overnighting in the country.