Planes are parked at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport, following the US and Israel strikes on Iran on Monday
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
With West-Asia –based airlines suspending services to India for the past two days amid the Iran–Israel conflict, thousands of tonnes of export cargo like perishables, pharma and textiles bound for the US, Europe and Africa are lying uncleared at airports across the country.
While the exact volume is unavailable, industry sources said about 450 tonnes of export cargo meant for West Asia/Gulf carriers is currently held up at Chennai airport alone. Terminal operators have also begun levying demurrage on the stranded shipments, a cost exporters will have to bear unless relief is granted.
J Krishnan, Partner, S Natesa Iyer Logistics LLP, a Chennai-based freight forwarder, said cargo that had already been cleared by Customs on Friday and Saturday is yet to be uplifted, while a large volume reached airports on Sunday for clearance. “The free period for exports is just 12 hours,” he said, adding that alternate routing options and frequencies are sparse, leading to cancellations and claims for delayed despatches.
With no immediate alternatives emerging, Krishnan said the financial burden needs to be mitigated through emergency measures by the Centre.
Seek emergency measures
Trade bodies have written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking a waiver of demurrage charges during what they describe as an “unprecedented” disruption beyond the control of exporters.
A Sakthivel, Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, said the prevailing situation has direcrtly impacted the timely movement of export cargo.
“Imposing demurrage under such exceptional circumstances would place an undue financial burden on exporters already facing shipment delays and contractual uncertainties,” he said. Sakthivel urged the DGCA to issue instructions to cargo terminal operators to waive demurrage on export consignments affected by flight disruptions and airspace restrictions arising from the ongoing West Asian crisis.
Samir J Shah, President of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India, also said that levying demurrage in such cases would be unjustified and would exacerbate commercial uncertainties, he said.
The industry is now awaiting a response from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Jitendra Srivastava, CEO, Triton Logistics & Maritime, said that a significant portion of India’s outbound air freight moves through hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi for onward connections to the US, Europe and Africa.
“When those corridors pause, cargo does not move, it accumulates. Airports are designed for flow, not storage, so delays quickly translate into congestion and demurrage costs,” he said. The impact is most visible in time-sensitive sectors such as perishables and pharmaceuticals.
“If the suspension continues, exporters will need to evaluate alternate routings and absorb short-term cost increases. A prolonged disruption creates structural cost pressure,” he added.
Export cargo is typically carried in the belly of passenger aircraft as well as on dedicated freighters. From West Asia hubs—key transhipment points for the US and Europe—both passenger and freighter operations have stopped over the last 48 hours, disrupting onward connections, he said.
Published on March 2, 2026