The airlines said they were doing this to protest against the “unfair practices” by the cargo service agency to which the work has been outsourced and airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). Things have, however, been looking up since Thursday, with DIAL assuring the airlines that they will resolve the issue.

Sources said the airlines are unhappy about being told to shift to the international cargo terminal from the makeshift warehouses near the domestic terminal where they had been conducting operations for a long time. The new arrangement will prove costly for the airlines that will have to pay for the use of the cargo terminal as well as spend more on transporting the consignments to the domestic apron, the sources added.

“The international cargo terminal has neither the infrastructure nor the manpower to handle the huge cargo operations and our shipments are lying there, resulting in huge losses. Moreover, to operate at that terminal, we are also charged an additional Rs 3 per kg for storing the cargo over and above the cargo charges of Rs 18 per kg. Also, if the shipment is delayed by a day, the airline has to pay an additional Rs 2 per kg,” a cargo agent said.

“In the past week, the backlog pressure vis-à-vis the limited infrastructure capacity has resulted in quality issues,” said Vipin Jain, president of the Airline Operators’ Committee (Cargo).

Exporters too have been hit. One of them said the revised 3 pm deadline for accepting cargo trucks at the terminal — they were allowed in till 6 pm — has made things difficult for them. “No cargo is allowed in after 3 pm, and we are forced to leave our trucks outside the cargo terminal without security,” the exporter said.

“A lot of it is a domino effect of the European airspace closure last month. The airlines have been struggling with limited capacity in warehouses. They have to bear losses of money and goodwill when they fail to get the deliveries to the client on time,” Jain said.

“The DIAL management has assured the airlines the issues would be addressed at the earliest,” Jain said.