Navi Mumbai International Airport is taking corrective action after airlines and cargo industry groups raised concerns about manpower, ground support equipment and cargo processing problems during the transition of freighter operations from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) said it will add experienced personnel to its cargo workforce, improve communication on flight clearances and delivery timelines, provide additional support to address system-related issues and operate a 24/7 help desk for import and export customers.

The airport operator also said it will waive additional demurrage charges incurred after the free period through Oct. 15.

The measures follow complaints from airlines, freight forwarders and customs brokers about delays and operational bottlenecks at the new cargo facility.

Challenge Group temporarily suspended its Mumbai freighter operations after determining that conditions at Navi Mumbai did not provide the reliability required to maintain service.

Challenge Group Chief Commercial Officer Or Zak said the problems have included shortages of dollies and difficulties moving cargo through warehouse processes. He said approximately 1,000 tonnes of inbound cargo had been sitting on dollies, tying up equipment needed to unload arriving aircraft.

Export operations have faced their own problems, with cargo sometimes not ready, incorrectly built or unable to be released from the warehouse because of equipment constraints.

“You end up with freighters leaving with very little cargo, or even completely empty,” Zak said.

The Brihanmumbai Customs Brokers’ Association has separately reported flight-checking delays exceeding 72 hours as well as shortages of operational personnel, loaders, forklifts, trained equipment operators and supervisors.

Other concerns include delays in registration and account-opening processes that can hold up cargo clearance.

Cargo airlines began shifting freighter operations to Navi Mumbai as dedicated freighter operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were suspended to accommodate infrastructure work. IndiGo CarGo became the first freight carrier to begin operations at Navi Mumbai on Aug. 1, and a number of international cargo carriers have since moved services to the new airport.

The operational problems come as air cargo enters its peak season, increasing pressure on handling capacity and ground resources.

In its response to the industry concerns, NMIAL acknowledged that the transition had caused difficulties and said additional experienced resources would be deployed to improve cargo turnaround times.

“While transitions of this scale can present challenges, our responsibility is to ensure that the impact is minimized and that the experience remains as smooth as possible,” the airport operator said.