Germany has become the third country after the UK and Australia to stop the import of goods moved by air from Bangladesh, just as Britain steps up its campaign to get the ban reversed.

“We are in constant talks with the responsible authorities. For security reasons, we have decided not to offer any cargo capacities from Bangladesh until further notice,” a Lufthansa official told Asia Cargo News.

The ban kicked in after intelligence and security services suggested packages being moved from Bangladesh in air cargo were a potential security risk. This led to shipments from Bangladesh to Germany to be subject to the EU’s high-risk cargo and mail procedures and screened at a third-country airport.

The immediate first casualty has been German carrier Lufthansa, which stopped service from Dhaka. The route was served with a Boeing 777F aircraft operated by AeroLogic. It had a standard loading capacity of approximately 103 tonnes and was usually filled mainly with textiles.

A diplomatic campaign to get the bans lifted is underway, according to media reports coming out of the Dhaka.

Security at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has improved, but more needs to be done to get the ban on Dhaka-London direct air cargo withdrawn, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake said, according to the businessnews24bd website.

“We have been working for a long time with the government of Bangladesh on the ban issue. It is an ongoing programme. Many things have improved,” Blake said. The British High Commission in Dhaka was not available to add to the comments.

Britain imposed the ban back in March after the airport in Dhaka failed to meet some international security standards, but given the trade relationship between the two countries, UK officials are now working with the Bangladesh government to get the ban reversed.

By Michael Mackey

Southeast Asia Correspondent | Bangkok