I New FIATA VP from India to focus on collaboration and recognition
Keshav Tanna, a professionally-qualified logistics industry practitioner and an expert with over two decades of expertise in the air freight forwarding industry, has recently been elected as the Vice-President, International Federation of Freight Forwarde
cT: what is the significance of your election as vice-president of fiaTa for the development of air-cargo and logistics industry in india?
Tanna: India has had representations in the past in FIATA and as such, it would not entirely be correct to assume India’s importance in the logistics field only as of now. India has been a major player in the entire logistics industry. As a matter of fact, the Asia-Pacific Region is a major driver of global air cargo, and we constitute a substantial share in this market. India, with its sheer numbers, has always contributed healthily to this growth; however the last couple of years have been a bit slow. Hopefully, things will pick up soon.
cT: what are the major challenges facing the freight-forwarders in india?
Tanna: Presently, we are facing challenges, perhaps because of inconsistencies in Government policies, a very volatile exchange rate situation in addition to one of the most glaring challenges which we have had to battle with for years – inadequate infrastructure.
cT: as the new vice-president of fiaTa from this region, what will be your focus areas?
Tanna: Besides the local issues like inadequate infrastructure, service tax and TDS issues, we also need exposure at the international level to communicate effectively with the airlines and IATA, thereby ensuring that we have the same platform the international forwarder has. A level playing field is what we need to achieve for the Indian air-cargo agents, thereby making them as competitive or perhaps even better than any other international forwarder. This is where FIATA can play the role of a catalyst for us.
cT: what will be the activities and programmes of fiaTa for india?
Tanna: FIATA is not only about air cargo. It also addresses issues related to World Customs Organisation, World Trade Organisation, International Chamber of Commerce, International Union of Railways, Vocational Training, Security and Legal issues. As a vision – it would be nice to perhaps host one of the FIATA Congress’ in India in the near future.