Bangladesh opens door to private air cargo operators in logistics push
In a move designed to tackle chronic congestion and delays in airfreight exports, Bangladesh will ...
© Rosshelen
Vegetables and seasonal fruit exports from Bangladesh are a facing severe downturn, after a near doubling in costs over the past five months as surging airfreight rates make themselves felt.
Airfares out of Bangladesh to Europe and the Middle East have proved most deleterious for exporters, who have seen their competitiveness against broader global markets slashed since the onset of the US/Israel war against Iran.
Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables & Allied Products Exporter Association general secretary Mohammad Monsur told The Loadstar: “Unless Biman Bangladesh Airlines lowers fares, seasonal fruits export will also be hampered lowering export earnings.
“Airfreight shipment costs in neighbouring India and with other our competitors are lower than Bangladesh. With high airfares in Dhaka, our exporters are set to be left far behind the competitors.”
Given the Middle East is major destination of Bangladeshi vegetables and fruits export the loss of capacity provoked by the war proved a major headache for exporters, but volumes to the Americas and Europe have also dropped significantly in recent months.
Mr Monsur had written directly to Biman’s management, urging the carrier to slash its fares to a tolerable level for transporting betel leaves, fruits, and vegetables from Dhaka to London, Rome and Toronto and various other destinations in the Middle East.
The letter stressed that without a reduction in fares, Bangladesh’s fruit and vegetable exporters would no longer be able to compete with neighbouring countries, noting that fares from Dhaka to Toronto had surged from $3.40kg in January to $6kg.
Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association’s (BAFFA) former VP Nasir Ahmed Khan said freight rates from Bangladesh to the Americas were now $6-$6.50kg, $4-$4.50kg to Europe, $1-$1.50kg to the Middle, while costs to Kuwait had hit the $2.50kg mark.
But Mr Khan told The Loadstar that alongside addressing rates, there were other options on the table, noting that fixing the scanning machines and lowering Dhaka’s handling charges would also decrease the cost of doing business for the community.
Comment on this article
Andrew Cabanal
June 03, 2026 at 4:57 pmThe severe capacity crunch at Middle Eastern hubs highlights just how vulnerable perishable supply chains are to geopolitical disruptions. When air freight rates surge from $2 to $6 per kilogram, margins on low-value, time-sensitive goods like fresh produce completely vanish.