Ho Chi Minh City Customs holds dialogue and gives policy guidance to airlines

	Ho Chi Minh City Customs provide information on seizure of over 11kg of drugs transported by air
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs removes obstacles for logistics businesses
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs has a dialogue with more than 50 shipping lines, shipping agents

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep speaks at the conference. Photo: T.H

Strengthen inspection and control

This is a thematic dialogue conference between Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and airlines and airline agents to share and remove problems for businesses in the situation that import and export goods, entry and exit passengers via air is increasing daily.

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep said that in the past time, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch and airlines and airline agents had cooperated closely to perform the task well. However, in the current context, goods and passengers passing through airports are increasing after the epidemic, requiring better coordination.

In addition, in the face of new developments of crimes, especially crimes of drug transport via air, which tend to increase in complexity, the Customs sector has been tightening management and strengthening inspection for import and export goods, means of export and import via air. The airlines grasp the content of this regulation to coordinate and support the Customs in the management work in the new situation.

With the desire for better management coordination to serve international tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh City, airlines, in addition to having to support and welcome international tourists, need to implement well the following measures: regulations in the work of ensuring safety and security in the implementation of management regulations of state management agencies in the locality. There is the management of the Customs agency.

According to the Head of Control and Supervision Department - Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Vuong Tuan Nam, although goods transported by air accounted for 5% of output, the value accounted for 35%. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will strengthen dialogue and contact with airlines and airline agents, so in the future, the activities of businesses and state management on customs can be smooth in the area, both ensuring the management and creating the most favourable conditions for airlines and airline agents.

At the conference, Deputy Head of Customs Supervision and Administration Department Phan Binh Tuy said that administrative procedures for aircraft on exit and entry are related to a lot of legal documents, including the Law on Customs; Civil Aviation Law; Law on Exit and Entry, decrees guiding the implementation.

Currently, the Customs sector advises the Ministry of Finance to amend Circular 50/2019/TT-BTC, requesting airlines to study and comment on amending this circular, especially the declarations criteria of entry and exit aircraft.

Facilitate the airline

At the conference, several air carriers raised some problems when implementing the national single-window system, such as there is no English section on the system; on the system to store bills of lading of previous years, when enterprises reuse these bills of lading, it is not possible to do so; problems with electronic bills of lading, etc.

Sharing with airlines at the conference, the Director of Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch Bui Le Hung said that, in the past, the coordination and companionship between the branch and airlines were not very convenient. Airlines and airline agents have good coordination with Customs in handling violations detected by Customs, such as sending witnesses in the search and assisting with translation.

Dialogue conference scene. Photo: T.H

According to Director of Sub-Department Bui Le Hung, in recent years, many subjects have taken advantage of air transport to illegally transport goods, even drugs. Tan Son Nhat International Airport's air route is one of the key routes. To strictly control import and export goods, import and export means, Customs authorities have been taking measures to tighten inspection and control, looking forward to the cooperation of enterprises.

Director of the Sub-Department Bui Le Hung also issued a warning. There are some comments that the goods are not fully exploited for international flights on entry, and the airline will continue to fly inland. If an abnormal phenomenon is found, the airlines are requested to coordinate in two-way exchanges with the Customs authority to take measures to prevent and handle it promptly.

"During the operation, if there are any problems, please ask airlines and airline agents to discuss with the Customs for timely assistance and guidance actively", the Director of Sub-Department Bui Le Hung shared.

Concluding the dialogue, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep suggested that after this conference, the Control and Supervision Department should manage the system again all the content of the enterprises' problems, which have not been answered due to the issues of policy, should be recorded and reported to competent authorities for consideration and settlement.

In order for passengers to promptly capture information related to cargo transportation activities and warn about tricks and acts of transporting contraband and prohibited goods, Deputy Director Nguyen Huu Nghiep assigned the Customs Sub-Department. Tan Son Nhat International Airport researches and designs leaflets to propagate the notice and warning information to passengers to prevent violations.