Express air-transportation company DHL International (Thailand) Ltd yesterday announced its new  distribution hub at Suvarnabhumi Airport would be ready for business when the airport opens.

Suvarnabhumi's opening is scheduled for September 28.

The company yesterday co-hosted a seminar for more than 120 customers on import procedures to provide a clear understanding of the new customs procedures at Suvarnabhumi. It also told the assembled about its planned facilities at the new airport.

Herbert Vongpusanachai, managing director of DHL Thailand, said the firm had already spent more than US$1.6 billion (Bt60 billion) to improve its distribution network throughout the Asia-Pacific region. DHL promotes Bangkok as one of its six hubs for air-express service in the region.

"We have prepared ourselves for the move of our Bangkok hub from Don Muang Airport to the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. And we have been investing in the relocation of our distribution hub to the new airport since July in order to serve our increasing air-express service both in terms of warehouse and distribution facilities," said Herbert. "We can provide our air-express service immediately once the new airport has opened."

Herbert added that DHL had joined with the Customs Department to host the seminar because many working processes and procedures in cargo areas, the tax-free area, information technology systems and the Customs control and processing will be different at the new airport.

He cited the example of Suvarnabhumi Airport's 500,000-square-metre cargo area, which will be five times larger than the one at Don Muang Airport. DHL has been allotted 6,000 square metres of cargo space at the Suvarnabhumi.

Surachat Jantavacharakorn, director of Customs Service 1, Bangkok International Airport's Customs Office, said the Customs Department intended to raise the bar on its service at Suvarnabhumi Airport to world-class. Customs' role will cover both facilitation and control.

"Our mission is to provide simple, predictable and efficient customs procedures and ensure compliance with national laws and international agreements," said Surachat.

The Customs Department intends to initiate what it calls ICT Based Management, which includes electronic processing of import and export documents, transit and transhipments, return duties, warehousing.

The air-express service industry in the Asia-Pacific region grows about 8.4 per cent per annum, a trend expected to continue until 2021. In Thailand, the air-express service industry in the aggregate pulled in Bt6.8 billion in revenue last year, and is expected to grow 12.8 per cent this year.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation