Scheduled passenger aircraft and cargo aircraft bringing in the passengers and also cargo including unaccompanied baggage and similarly carrying outgoing passengers, their baggage, and unaccompanied baggage and export cargo.

Nature of cargo handled at the Air Cargo Complex, Madras can broadly be categorised into three i.e.

Cargo for clearance at Madras
Imported cargo landed directly be International flights like Air India, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, British Airways etc. and other chartered foreign flights (both scheduled and non-scheduled) including cargo meant for destinations outside India.

Cargo for transhipment
Imported Cargo landed at other International Airports in India and transshipped to Chennai by feeder flights.

Cargo for Export
Export Cargo brought into Chennai by Feeder Flights from other Indian Airports for shipments out of India from Chennai. This has also been included in this category for procedural convenience.

>As per Section 41 of the Customs Act and the Regulations made under the Customs Act, the person in-charge of a conveyance carrying export goods shall, before the departure of the conveyance, file Export Manifest in duplicate complete in all respects. The Pilot-in-Command or his authorised agent shall duly sign this document. Accordingly, the Pilot-in-Command or his authorised agent will file the Export Manifest in duplicate duly filled in to the S.D.O. prior to the departure of the Aircraft. The S.D.O. after making entries in the E.G.M. Register will assign E.G.M.Number on all copies of the manifest filed and retain two sets of documents and return the balance, if any.

As per Section 42 of the Customs Act, no conveyance can leave the Customs Station until the Proper Officer to that effect has given a written order. Accordingly, the acknowledgement on the General declaration filed by the person in-charge of the Aircraft or his authorised representative given by the S.D.O. shall constitute the required clearance in terms of Section 42 of the Customs Act. Accordingly, the S.D.O. will ensure that the requirements of Section 42 have been complied with before giving clearance for the Aircraft.

All cargo imported by Aircraft and Export cargo by Air will be escorted by the Import Freight Officer (IFO) / Export Freight Officer (EFO) respectively. These Officers will be posted round the clock by Assistant Commissioner (Air Cargo Complex) concerned. After the cargo is escorted from the Aircraft to the A.C.C., the Escorting Officer will endorse on the copy of the I.G.M. produced by the Airlines bearing I.G.M.No. To the effect that " ------ packages / pallets / containers landed by the flight were escorted from the Aircraft to the ACC" and sign clearly indicating the name, date and time and handover the manifest to the Import Freight Officer in the A.C.C. Before handing over the duly endorsed I.G.M., the Escort Officer will make entries in a separate register maintained by him. The duly endorsed manifest by the Export Officer will be handed over to the I.F.O. to enable him to supervise physical handing over of the cargo to the A.A.I. The concerned Airlines will present four copies of the I.G.M. to the I.F.O. The concerned Airlines will hand over the cargo to the custodian i.e. A.A.I. situated at A.C.C. under the over-all supervision of the I.F.O. stationed at the A.C.C. With necessary endorsements for having handed over and received the cargo by A.A.I., in all the four copies of the manifest, the I.F.O. will forward one copy to A.A.I., one copy he will match with the manifest given by the Escort Officer retained for office record, one copy forwarded to the Import Department and one copy will be to the Airlines. Details regarding the excess landing, short landing and damaged goods will be clearly indicated in all the copies of the manifests and also in the above prescribed register. The Custodian, i.e., A.A.I. will maintain a detailed account of receipts of goods in the register as per the proforma prescribed at Annexure "F. Whenever any lapses or discrepancies are noticed in the handing over of the cargo, the I.F.O. will submit a report to the A.C. (A.C.C.) through his Superintendent for further action. If any of the packages landed are found to have been damaged such packages should be sealed with Airlines seal and weighed and the particulars noted in the manifest before depositing with the Custodian. In the case of such damaged packages which have been sealed and deposited by the Airlines with the Custodian, if a survey is subsequently asked for either by the Airlines or by the Importers the same will be done by the Appraiser of ACC in the presence of the Airlines representative, representative of the A.A.I. and the Importer/Clearing Agents. Thereafter, the import cargo shall be segregated into cargo meant for transhipment and others by the A.A.I. in the presence of Airlines representative and I.F.O. in the cargo Complex. A.A.I. will submit detailed statements of all the imported goods cleared for home consumption, transhipped etc., and those remaining in their custody once in a month to the A.C. (Transhipment) in the A.C.C

The I.F.O. will ensure that the import cargo is handed over to A.A.I. as stated above on the same day. The Air Customs Officer (A.C.O.) posted for escort work will ensure that the import cargo landed by the aircraft is taken to the Import enclosure of A.A.I. at A.C.C. by the concerned Airlines on the same day. The route adopted by the van / trolley carrying import cargo from the tarmac will be within the security area and cannot go outside.

If for any reasons airlines are not able to complete the handing over of the Import cargo escorted and brought into A.A, I. import cargo complex on the dame day, the airlines will submit a letter for permission to hand over the cargo on the next working day. All such instances will be brought to the notice of the A.C. (A.C.C.) by the I.F.O. through his Superintendent on the same day during office hours or if that day happens to be a holiday, the next working day. I.F.O. will also endorse all the four copies of the manifests suitably of such delays. Subsequently, when physical handing over is to be made on the next day, airlines will liase with the I.F.O. and complete the process of handing over. I.F.O. supervising this will endorse all the copies (four) of manifests by affixing his signature, name and date.

The I.F.O., as is convenient to him, but in any case on the following day of the receipt of the package will verify the register of the Custodian of the Ground Handling Agency to ensure that all the packages landed and covered by thee manifest including the excess landed packages are duly entered in the Register maintained by the Custodian. Barring inadvertent omissions, entries of cargo by the Aircraft, will appear in one place in this register, without intermixture with entries of another aircraft. He will also indicate the serial number of the Register against the entry in the manifest in the Master copy maintained by him. I.F.O. will maintain a register date wise and flight wise.

Cargo received by A.A.I. is cleared in the following manner