Air freight makes Vietnamese produce highly competitive

DEMAND for air cargo in Vietnam has risen strongly in recent months as many local exporters look to shorten delivery times, especially for perishable fresh produce.

The director of one fruit exporting company said the export of fresh fruit by air has significantly raised the competitiveness of Vietnamese produce.

This comes as the value of shipments passing through the Tan Son Nhat International Airport between June and August rose to US$1 billion, up from $276 million in the same period last year, according to the airport's customs office.

Furthermore, in the first seven months of the year, international flights transported 188,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Vietnam, up 43.8 per cent year on year, reports Vietnam News Service.

Highlighting the surge in air freight, Rong Do Company sales manager Mai Xuan Thin, whose Ho Chi Minh City firm exports three tonnes of dragon fruit a week by air to Europe.

The director of another fruit exporting company said the export of fresh fruit by air has significantly raised the competitiveness of Vietnamese produce.

His company increased shipments of rambutan, mangosteen and dragon fruit by air by 30 per cent in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2009, he said.

Taiwan-based Eva Air Cargo said its two cargo flights per week on the Ho Chi Minh City-Taiwan route are always full, adding that it achieved air cargo growth of more than 30 per cent this year compared to 2009.

Vu Thanh Hai, general director of Tan Son Nhat Cargo Services Ltd, added that total cargo exported through his company was around 130-145 tonnes per day, of which more than 20 tonnes, including garments, footwear, flowers, fruits and ornamental fish, were exported to the EU.
(Source:www.schednet.com)