Customs introduces 24-hour air cargo clearance service

Customs services for air cargo clearance have been expanded to operate on a 24-hour basis, Customs said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Customs said all services provided by the agency are now available around the clock.

The change follows a meeting held last week by President Mohamed Muizzu with business representatives, where concerns were raised over delays in clearing air cargo. Traders said prolonged clearance times were resulting in higher costs due to damages and storage charges.

At the meeting, the president said the government would address the issues raised by businesses.

Among the main concerns highlighted by traders were limited cargo scanning capacity at Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and staffing constraints within Customs.

Hussain, General Manager of Cepex, told the meeting that courier and logistics providers had repeatedly requested Customs to introduce a 24-hour service to ease operational difficulties.

He said service providers had been informed that expansion was constrained by limited space, scanning equipment, and staffing, which affected the speed at which goods could be cleared.

Customs did not provide further details on staffing or infrastructure changes accompanying the move to a 24-hour service.