After China and Indonesia... Second Special Supply Deployed to Japan and Germany

Transportation of Protective Clothing, Automotive and Electronic Parts, and Cosmetics

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chae-seok] The government and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) have urgently arranged special passenger cargo flights to Japan and Germany, following China and Indonesia. These cargo flights were deployed to assist companies facing difficulties in freight transportation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 29th that they have jointly deployed special passenger flights to Japan and Germany with KITA.

The special flight to Narita, Japan, was deployed on the same day, and a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, will be deployed on the 30th.

This is the second special flight arrangement following the end of last month’s flights to Jakarta, Indonesia, and Chongqing, China.

A total of 17 tons of cargo from 10 companies, including cosmetics, manufacturing process robots, and cotton masks, will be transported to Narita.

Approximately 23 tons of cargo from 12 companies, including medical protective suits, automobile parts, and electronic components, are scheduled to be transported to Frankfurt.

The deployment of special flights was initiated to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whose export routes were blocked due to the suspension of international passenger flights amid foreign entry restrictions imposed by major countries worldwide.

Narita and Frankfurt, where the second special flights were arranged, were finally selected after government ministries, airlines, and forwarders jointly reviewed the current status of air logistics.

The freight charges for the special flights were set at about 75% of the market price to reduce the burden on small and medium export companies.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, KITA, and the Small and Medium Business Corporation support the discounted freight charges.

Economic organizations such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Employers Federation, and the Korea Federation of SMEs, along with related agencies including the Small and Medium Business Corporation and KOTRA, also helped gather companies participating in this special charter flight.

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines operated the charter flights, while Hanjin and Pactline International handled cargo collection.

Seong Yun-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "We arranged the second special charter flight reflecting corporate difficulties raised at the recent 'Export Situation On-site Inspection Meeting,' such as additional demand for special charter flights and relaxation of regulations on cargo loading in passenger cabins. Despite the difficult circumstances caused by COVID-19 spread and entry restrictions by various countries, our export companies will do their best to continue economic activities unstoppably and unwaveringly, as the phrase '불요불굴 (indomitable spirit)' signifies."

Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, "I hope this special charter flight operation can help alleviate difficulties faced by export SMEs suffering from the global economic downturn and rising air logistics costs due to COVID-19. We will continue to strive to ensure that our SMEs’ exports proceed without disruption."

Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "We already established safety standards last month and distributed them to airlines for cargo transportation within passenger aircraft. In particular, through active consideration of fire-retardant packaging requirements for cargo transport inside passenger cabins, which differ from cargo planes, we are actively supporting airlines to maximize the use of empty space in cabins."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.