India is no longer simply building an export ambition. It is building an export economy. And the next big question is: can its logistics ecosystem move at the same speed?
The theme of ACAAI’s 50th Convention — “Made in India, Moved by India – Building the Logistics Ecosystem for a Trillion-Dollar Trade” — comes at a defining moment for Indian trade.
India’s total exports reached an estimated US$860.09 billion in FY2025–26, compared with US$825.26 billion the previous year. The government is now targeting US$2 trillion in total exports by 2030–31, with US$1 trillion each from merchandise and services.
But reaching that milestone will require more than manufacturing capacity and market access.
The cargo behind the ambition
India’s air cargo ecosystem is already expanding. Airports across the country handled approximately 3.72 million tonnes of cargo in FY2024–25, registering 10.5% growth over the previous year. Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru together handled around two-thirds of India’s total air cargo.
At the same time, the composition of Indian exports is changing.
Electronics exports have grown from US$6.3 billion in 2014–15 to US$38.6 billion in 2024–25, while pharmaceutical exports reached US$30.5 billion. These are precisely the kinds of high-value, time-sensitive and globally integrated products that depend on reliable air cargo and multimodal logistics networks.
The opportunity, therefore, is not simply to manufacture more.
It is to move more — faster, smarter and more competitively.
From gateways to a nationwide logistics network
India’s export growth can no longer depend overwhelmingly on a handful of metropolitan gateways.
As manufacturing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, perishables and engineering production expand across states and emerging industrial clusters, the logistics ecosystem must connect these production centres seamlessly with airports, ports, highways, rail networks, warehouses and global markets.
That means strengthening regional air cargo infrastructure, improving cargo-handling capacity, simplifying customs and compliance processes, expanding cold-chain and specialised facilities, and making multimodal connectivity work as one integrated system.
The government’s Export Promotion Mission itself recognises export warehousing, logistics, inland transportation, compliance and market access as important components of export competitiveness.
The role of the air cargo agent
This is where the air cargo industry — and particularly freight forwarders and air cargo agents — becomes critical.
The air cargo agent is no longer simply an intermediary between shipper and airline. The role increasingly sits at the intersection of trade, technology, compliance, capacity, connectivity and customer experience.
For India to move towards a trillion-dollar merchandise export economy, the industry will need to become:
More connected.
More digital.
More multimodal.
More data-driven.
And more globally integrated.
The trillion-dollar opportunity will ultimately be measured not only by what India produces, but by how efficiently India can deliver it to the world.
Made in India is the beginning of the journey.
Moved by India is what completes it.
And that is precisely where the next chapter of Indian logistics begins.
The future of Indian trade will not be defined by what we make alone, but by how efficiently we move it to the world. As the industry comes together at ACAAI’s 50th Convention, we look forward to discussing how India can build a logistics ecosystem capable of powering its trillion-dollar trade ambition.
