Mangaluru Airport commences international cargo operations
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Mangaluru International Airport has commenced international cargo operations from its integrated cargo terminal with flight IX 815 ferrying 2,522 kgs of fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi, officials said on Saturday.
The formal launch was done on Friday, in the presence of the AAHL Cargo team, the leadership team of the Mangaluru International Airport as well as representatives from Customs, Airlines - IndiGo and Air India Express - and Airport Security Group of CISF, they said.
This much anticipated development comes a little over a year after the airport started domestic cargo operations on May 1, 2023, officials said.
According to officials, the Commissioner of Customs on May 10 this year had appointed the airport as Custodian as well as a Customs Cargo Service Provider, green signaling the start of international cargo operations.
Working with regulatory authorities and airline partners, the airport, in the interim, vigorously pursued its status as Customs Cargo Service.
The start of international cargo operations will enable exporters from coastal Karnataka and Kerala and the hinterland to export perishables such as fresh fruits and vegetables, food, machine parts, textiles, shoes, tropical fish, frozen and dry fish, plastic coloring material and ship parts (propeller) in the form of belly cargo.
IndiGo and Air India Express with their connectivity will enable exporters to send cargo to Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.
On the domestic cargo front, the airport has done well in handling 3706.02 tonne of cargo in the first 11 months of its operation from May 1, 2023, during the financial year 2024-25.
The total domestic cargo handled included 279.21 tonne of inbound and 3426.8 tonne of outbound cargo. Interestingly, 95 per cent of the outbound domestic cargo was post-office mail, consisting of bank and UIDAI related documents such as credit/debit and Aadhaar cards, officials said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Air India Express increases flight operations from NE destinations
Guwahati (PTI): Low-cost airline Air India Express has announced an increase in flight operations from three major destinations in the northeast – Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal – as part of its winter schedule.
This is part of the airlines’ expansion of winter services across the country, it said in a statement here.
Air India Express has increased its operations to 106 weekly flights from 63 last winter, from Guwahati.
It provides direct connectivity to eight domestic destinations of Agartala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur and Kolkata. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 18 domestic destinations and six international destinations from Guwahati.
In Imphal, the airline hiked its weekly flights to 34 this season, an addition of 20 over last winter, the statement said.
Since adding Agartala as a station in September 2024, the airline has increased its flights from 14 to 21 weekly, and connects two destinations – Guwahati and Kolkata – directly.
It also offers one-stop connectivity from Agartala to 11 domestic destinations.
“The expansion not only facilitates easier travel for those wishing to explore North East, but also strengthens Guwahati’s role as a vital link with the rest of the country,” Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Ankur Garg said.
“With our fleet now exceeding 90 aircraft and rapidly growing, we are well-positioned to support the evolving needs of emerging Indian cities,” he added.
