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Ashwini Phadnis

FEDEX is in talks with the Centre to have its own dedicated express clearance facility at Mumbai airport. The company's Managing Director-Indian Subcontinent, Mr Jacques Creeten, confirmed this.

"FedEx has a number of such facilities around the world and we are talking with the Indian Government about having such a facility in Mumbai airport. It will help build efficiency and we are very serious about this," Mr Creeten said.

The proposed facility will be an all integrated entity having its own dedicated security and Customs areas among other essentials. At present, the company is operating in India through Mumbai, using it as the main hub for in- and out-bound express-shipments.

Officials indicated that having such a facility will help Indian industry compete more effectively in the global market place. "A dedicated facility would help in reducing the handling and clearance time which will translate into earlier delivery and late pick up of packages. This will surely help as India competes more and more in the world market," officials said.

However, officials felt that while it would be wrong to compare the proposed facility in Mumbai with that in Memphis, US, sources indicated that the proposed Mumbai facility would be in line with what it has in several cities around the world, including Toronto, Subic Bay in the Philippines, and Dubai.

But despite the fact that technical staff from the engineering department have come to India to examine the project, officials said it would be difficult to say just yet as to how big the proposed facility will be.

"We first need to get the space before we can deal with the issue of construction that has to be done. However, there can be no doubt about one thing that when it does come up it will be a great benefit to the country," officials said.

FedEx has a worldwide fleet of 662 aircraft, serves 365 airports and 211 countries worldwide.

Meanwhile the company said that the move of having such a facility at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport is a step in the right direction. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, had inaugurated two dedicated express terminals at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on November 6.

While one of the express terminals is for DHL Worldwide Express, the other is for the Express Industry Council of India (EICI).

Interestingly, in a statement at the launch of the DHL Express terminal at Delhi airport, the DHL India Country Manager, Mr Chris Callen, said that the company had embarked on a four-gateway strategy with the aim of setting up world-class, state-of-the-art, on-airport express terminals in Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. Similarly, in a statement, the EICI Chairman, Mr Tushar Jani, said that the council proposed to set up a similar collaborative express terminal at the Mumbai airport.

"The Council is in an advance stage of dialogue with the Airports Authority of India to set up the Mumbai terminal. The AAI has already identified the land-site of 2,600 square meters where the EICI will build 52,000 square feet high-technology express infrastructure," Mr Jani said.

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