NCBFAA Calls on Administration to Address Air Freight Issues Alongside Port Congestion
A White House task force recently created to examine supply chain disruptions (see 2106090021) should not ignore problems with air freight caused in part by surging demand brought on by delays and congestion at ports, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in a March 4 letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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“While we applaud the Biden Administration’s commitment to easing backlogs in ocean shipping and at the country’s ports, we are concerned that similar issues with congestion, delays, labor shortages, and rate increases remain largely unaddressed in the airfreight sector -- a central pillar of our transportation and logistics infrastructure,” the NCBFAA said. “Without prompt attention from the Administration, these challenges threaten to exacerbate current delays in the global movement of goods.”
Air freight has recently been a “lifeline” to shippers seeking to avoid issues with the ocean mode of transportation, but as “demand for air transport has increased, however, supply-chain challenges have spilled over into the airfreight sector, resulting in an increasingly costly, congested, and unfriendly environment for the many companies now opting to move goods by air,” the NCBFAA said.
Costs are up, as much as 40% in the past six months, and record rate increases are coming “on a regular basis.” NCBFAA members are reporting delays with airport ground handling in particular, with “extensive wait times” for the pickup and delivery of cargo. Staffing shortages at airlines and airports “have also significantly reduced cargo plane capacity and schedules and worsened customer service in recent months, leading to further unpredictability and delays,” the NCBFAA said.
“We believe that the White House-defined supply chain mandate, while initially focused on ocean shipping disruptions, also provides a platform for raising airfreight-related pandemic-induced consequences. NCBFAA members are on the frontlines of global trade, facilitating the efficient and timely movement of cross-border cargoes,” the trade group said. “Unfortunately, the current operational deficiencies facing the air cargo sectors (as noted above) are impeding our ability to move freight -- both inbound and outbound. This must be addressed by both the public and private sectors immediately.”