Albion Aviation Group has partnered with a leading Logistics Service Provider (LSP) in the United Arab Emirates to offer third-party Business-to-Consumer (B2C) customs clearance and final mile delivery solutions for e-commerce shipments. This collaboration leverages a dedicated 2,500 sq m customs-bonded warehouse at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), allowing for immediate arrival and clearance of shipments before final mile delivery to any location within the UAE.
The facility features direct airside access, in-house screening capabilities and on-site customs officers, ensuring some of the fastest processing times among LSPs in the region. Operating 24/7, 365 days a year, the LSP provides fully integrated IT systems for real-time parcel tracking and adheres to local customs regulations.
Lewis King, Albion director, comments: “This is a value-added service for our existing clients, including freight forwarders, logistics providers, and global e-commerce shippers. We are thrilled about our new LSP partnership in the UAE and expanding our range of services.”
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Regarding the Middle Eastern airfreight sector, Lewis observes that it is currently navigating several significant challenges despite an overall positive growth outlook.
He says: “We actually have a very positive outlook and particularly for the e-commerce sector, where is there is growing demand and user adoption year on year in the GCC market. A market where there is plenty of disposal income and purchasing power parity within certain demographics. Furthermore transport hubs like the UAE have been pivotal in servicing the ongoing sea-air demand due to the security concerns of routing cargo via the Red Sea to Europe.
“We are focusing on the UK ecommerce market via our Albion UK office and of course countries such as China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan where most of the e-commerce goods originate from for the GCC region.
“The GCC region will remain a pivotal gateway to other continents such as Africa, Europe and further afield to North America, which is credit to the transport infrastructure that countries like the UAE have built and invested in over the past few decades. The UAE continues to lead the way in establishing itself as one of the most important transport corridors here in the region.”
He notes the key advantages of the e-commerce LSP setup at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) include: warehouse access to the flight line for expedited shipment processing times, in-house X-Ray screening machine, a temperature-controlled warehouse, on-site customs office operating 24/7 for immediate clearances and in-house build and break capabilities for lower deck and main deck ULDs.
