Air cargo ban to UK may be lifted
The UK prime minister's trade envoy for Bangladesh, Ms Rushanara Ali has hinted that the British ban on direct cargo flights from Hazrat Shahjalal Airport may be withdrawn in the foreseeable future. These comments come in the backdrop of a weeklong visit to Dhaka. However, no exact date of the withdrawal was given. Bangladesh had appointed a British company to make necessary changes with regard to ensuring security at the airport and the changes are still ongoing.
The annual bilateral trade between the two countries in the current fiscal is about USD 3.57 billion and currently all air cargo headed to the UK needs to be rescreened in a third country in the Middle East before flying to Britain. Needless to say such an arrangement is both time consuming and adds significant costs for exporters. This is perhaps the first time we have received some hopeful news since Australia, the UK and Germany slapped a ban on our air cargo more than a year ago.
It goes to show that our authorities have taken steps to work towards improving security measures, but these are measures that need to be continually reinforced and maintained. Security is a major issue in countries of the West, especially in the wake of a series of bombings that have shaken the UK of late and we must do our part to uplift the image of the country that has been tarnished with our premier airport being branded "unsafe". With a meeting between UK officials and their Bangladeshi counterparts due to take place at the end of this month, we sincerely hope that some good news will be forthcoming. A lifting of the UK ban could pave the way for lifting of bans by other countries in the EU where the bulk of our RMG exports go.
Comments