ACFI constitutes a new board and appoints Mr. Yashpal Sharma as its new President

New Delhi, June 30: Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) formulates a new board for a term of 2 consecutive years, 2022-2024, at the Annual General Meeting held on 29th June 2022. Mr. Yashpal Sharma, MD – Skyways Group, has been appointed as the President of ACFI for this period. Mr. Cyrus Katgara, the past President, handed over the mantle to the new board. Mr. Katgara will be part of the current board as Ex Officio. He will continue supporting ACFI to achieve its goals and help boost the Indian economy.

The “Air Cargo Forum India” – ACFI is an association of all key stakeholders of the Air Cargo Logistics Supply Chain Industry, consisting of Airlines, Airport Operators, Cargo Terminal Operators, Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers, Express Industry, Bonded Truckers, etc. 

Its objective is to steer and promote the development of India’s air cargo logistics industry and make it at par with the best Air Cargo ecosystems in the world. It is one of a kind and the only national association with representation in the Governing Board from all industry stakeholders. ACFI has been working very closely with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on its vision to take Indian air space to 10 million MT by 2030-31 from the current 3.1 million MT.

During the 10th ACFI Annual Event held in May 2022, the Honourable Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia himself, stated that Air Cargo had started as an underdog during a pandemic. However, it has emerged as a game-changer and has ably adapted to the changing environment. It is now time for the entire cargo community to push the pedals harder and ensure they succeed in achieving the vision of 2030-31. He also appreciated the efforts of ACFI toward the growth of the Indian Air Cargo industry.

The Governing Board for 2022-24 include some most prominent names of the industry as follows:

President Yashpal Sharma (Managing Director, Skyways Group); Vice President Sanjay Edward (Chief Commercial Officer, Delhi International Airport Limited); Hon. Secretary Ramesh Mamidala (Chief Cargo Officer Adani Airport Holdings Limited); Hon. Treasurer Arun Kumar (Managing Director, InSynergy Supply Chain Solutions Private Limited); and Ex Officio or Immediate Past President Cyrus Katgara (Partner, Jeena & Company); along with the Board members, namely Abdulla Ali Al Khallafi (Cargo Manager at India & Nepal Emirates SkyCargo); Ajith Pai (Chief Operating Officer at Delhivery Private Limited); Avinash Razdan (Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Cargo Service Center Private Limited); Kamesh Peri (Chief Executive Officer, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Private Limited); Keku Bomi Gazder (Managing Director and CEO, Aviapro Logistics Services Private Limited); Nipun Aggarwal (Chief Commercial Officer, Air India Limited); Satish Lakkaraju (Senior Vice President, Radar Ventures Pvt. Ltd. (Wiz Freight)); Saurabh Kumar (Chief Executive Officer GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo); and Shantanu Bhadkamkar (Managing Director, ATC Global Logistics Private Limited). 

Commenting on his prestigious new role Mr. Yashpal Sharma, the newly elected President, said, “I would like to thank my co-founding Members, Past Presidents, the ACFI secretariat and all board members of the past, for their invaluable and passionate contribution to ACFI and the air cargo community. It would be my utmost endeavour to work with the new board members and focus on achieving the Vision and Objectives of ACFI. While we have aligned ourselves to MoCA’s target of 10 MMT by 2030-31 but it would need a determined effort from all of us to galvanize process improvements, sync all stakeholders, including Government agencies and set short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and more importantly execute them to perfection within the set timelines.  

Mr. Yashpal Sharma, a well-known name in the logistics industry, is the MD of Skyways Group which offers a wide spectrum of logistics & supply chain services, including air freight, ocean freight, road transport and express services. Skyways Group is a leading freight forwarding company internationally known for being the No. 1 Indian Air Freight Forwarder for the past few years. Mr. Sharma is also the former President of the Air Cargo Club Of Delhi (ACCD).

“There is a huge shift in people’s mindset in the logistics sector, and they want to move towards ease of doing business. The industry will be strengthened by improved infrastructure and become more effective by adopting digitization. With our PM’s Gati Shakti, the government of India is focusing immensely on the logistics and air cargo industry. We aim to position Air Cargo as the choicest mode of transportation in India and make it globally admired for its efficiency,” said Mr. Sanjiv Edward, the newly elected ACFI Vice President.

About ACFI

Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) was established on 14th September 2012 with a powerful and forward-looking vision. “The Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) envisages building world-class environmental friendly air logistics industry by innovation, allied action with credibility and providing business facilitation to boost the Indian economy.”

ACFI is a common platform for each stakeholder in the air cargo sector who can work collectively in a positive direction to address major industry challenges. This prestigious body consists of stakeholders from across the industry including Airlines, Airport Operators, Cargo Terminal Operators, Courier and Express Operators, Custom Brokers, Freight Forwarders, Bonded Truck Operators, General Sales Agents, Integrators, Domestic Cargo Operators, etc.

All stakeholders work in complete alignment with various Government agencies and Ministries. ACFI is progressing well on its path to developing India’s major airports as cargo gateway airports and promoting them as major international transit cargo hubs. It endeavours to facilitate trade in air mode of transport and ensure ease of doing business in processing EXIM trade through simplified air cargo processing. It also aims to bring best industry practices to the Indian air cargo landscape.

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