Airports of Thailand moves to clear late cargoes

Airports of Thailand (AoT) has set aside warehouse space for oversized shipments at Suvarnabhumi airport as part of a joint effort with Thai Airways to clear a backlog of imported cargo.

AoT president Paweena Jariyathitipong said that since October, AOT, which runs Suvarnabhumi airport, has been coordinating with Thai Airways (THAI) following Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn's concern that the situation could disrupt the country's logistics network and international trade.

In response, AoT has allocated space at Warehouse 4 (WH-4), within the airport Free Zone, to accommodate oversized cargo. This will improve space management, reduce operational constraints and facilitate the clearance of accumulated shipments.

AoT, THAI, and the Customs Department have also discussed using domestic cargo warehouse facilities for customs clearance of international inbound shipments.

AoT is also working to integrate THAI's Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with its AoT Cargo Clearhouse platform.

AOT is closely monitoring THAI's warehouse operations, including inbound and outbound cargo volumes, as well as the status and volume of accumulated shipments. This will allow AOT to assess the situation continuously and implement corrective measures promptly.

To date, approximately 46,000 cargo collection requests have been submitted through the AOT Cargo Clearhouse platform to drive the regional competitiveness of Thailand's logistics and its status as a world-class aviation hub, said Ms Paweena.