Pakistan Customs has rolled out a flagship project, ‘Clearance in the Sky,’ at Model Customs Collectorate (MCC), Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) Karachi. The pre-arrival clearance facility will reduce the customs clearance time from hours to a few minutes.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Saifuddin Junejo, Chief Collector Customs Enforcement, said that three importers are currently benefiting from the pre-arrival clearance facility in the first phase, and the number will be extended to 10 in the coming days. He noted that the facility would help timely customs clearance of the shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine. ------------------------------
The Chief Collector said that the project team is studying the readiness of trade to adopt the pre-arrival clearance requirements before its roll-out at other national airports.
He noted that the ‘Clearance in the Sky’ will be a turnaround for the leading sectors of the economy. Adding that the initiative would significantly benefit the manufacturers and exporters, as the industrial raw materials of low values would also be pre-arrival customs cleared, bringing down their inventory maintenance costs while improving their supply chain management. ------------------------------
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Giving a detailed briefing through an electronic presentation, Collector Customs, Irfan-ur-Rehman, said that ‘Customs Clearance in the Sky’ allows traders to file the cargo manifest immediately after the take-off of the flight from the origin. It enables the customs clearing agents to file their goods declarations to the customs, which are checked through the risk management system. An electronic message on the release status is sent to the traders while the goods are still in the air.