News / Airport import ban after cargo village fire threatens Bangladesh factories

Source: Bangladesh fire service and civil defence

Bangladesh exporters are still facing production delays following the fire that broke out in Dhaka’s airport cargo village this month.

Several airlines and express operators, including Emirates, DHL and FedEx, have stopped bringing in shipments after the import warehouse burned down. As a result, garment factories have been unable to receive samples, delaying production.

“Due to the recent fire incident at Dhaka Airport, DHL Express has temporarily paused the acceptance of inbound non-document (parcel) shipments to Bangladesh from other countries until further notice,” the integrator told customers.

It added: “Please note that all other DHL services…remain fully operational. Our export services continue to operate at usual speed, and we are providing uninterrupted outbound support to help you keep your international business moving.

“We are working closely with the relevant authorities and partners to resume normal operations as soon as possible and will notify you immediately once the affected service resumes.”

Emirates has stopped accepting bookings for cargo to Dhaka, an Emirates SkyCargo official confirmed to The Loadstar.

A duty officer in Dhaka added: “At present we are only carrying [import] cargo which became stuck in transit in Dubai,” and that Emirates was now only taking export cargo via bellies – the carrier only puts on freighters there when volumes are high.

The import bans are hindering exports, said Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Factory owners have been waiting nearly two weeks for inbound courier services to resume and he added that there was no sign of change.

“If the situation continues we will be seriously affected,” he said. “There was an immediate loss from the fire, but the consequences are huge. Unless we get samples from the buyers in time, which come only by air, we can’t negotiate work orders and prepare goods.

 “If the airlines and major courier services do not restart carrying parcels immediately, factories will dry up, due to lack of work orders, and workers will suffer.”

Last week, Mr Hatem urged the government to ensure insurance claims for fire-damaged goods were expedited. And the Bangladesh Insurance Association  has urged its member companies to fully cooperate with customers affected by the airport fire.

Association secretary Omar Faruque said so far it had received information from 34 members that had received insurance claims worth around Tk5bn ($41m).