Thai chamber urges action on Suvarnabhumi cargo backlog
Thai Airways is adding staff and forklifts and seeking temporary storage space as handling delays affect businesses and outbound cargo.
The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) has called for urgent changes at Thai Airways’ TG Cargo warehouse at Suvarnabhumi Airport, saying a prolonged cargo backlog is increasing business costs and beginning to affect outbound shipments.
Phumin Harinsut, TCC vice-chairman and chairman of its Logistics and Supply Chain Committee, said importers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and manufacturers were facing higher costs. Delays involving imported materials and components were also disrupting production and deliveries, he said.
Slow unloading of unit load devices (ULDs), together with missing or incorrect storage records, has made cargo harder to locate. Singapore Airlines Cargo temporarily limited acceptance of some cargo types at Suvarnabhumi on Nov 4 as inbound delays disrupted the circulation of ULDs needed for outbound freight.
TCC proposed grouping consignments by airline, unloading ULDs faster and clearly identifying storage locations. It also urged more staffing, supported by private-sector freight agents working under warehouse supervision, and accurate location updates in the AOT Cargo Clearhouse system. The chamber asked the Transport Ministry to establish responsibilities and deadlines.
Thai Airways attributed the delays to sustained growth in inbound cargo and accumulated ULDs awaiting unloading. The airline apologised to customers and partners, saying it was adding workers and forklifts, prioritising deliveries and requesting temporary warehouse space from Airports of Thailand.
The airline also plans an internal warehouse-management system covering cargo arrival, storage and release, with tools to monitor queues and allocate workers and equipment.
