Gautham Raju, Air Freight Specialist, describes the India–EU FTA as the “Mother of All Deals,” highlighting its potential to increase India’s exports by nearly $75 billion and position the EU as India’s largest trade partner. He notes that zero-duty access to the EU’s $263.5 billion import market will significantly benefit sectors such as textiles and apparel, while reduced tariffs on food, FMCG, chemicals, machinery, and luxury vehicles are expected to drive higher import volumes from Europe to India. Raju emphasises that increasing cargo capacity on India–EU routes through additional services will be critical to capitalise on emerging opportunities, presenting a strong case for national carriers to focus on EU trade and deploy new aircraft deliveries. He adds that service providers should prioritise specialised offerings like temperature-controlled logistics and express delivery for perishables, while freight forwarders must accelerate investments in digital platforms to enhance logistics efficiency and real-time shipment visibility.
