International cargo operations start from Mangaluru Airport
Operations began with Air India Express flight IX 815 carrying 2,522 kgs of fresh fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi
The integrated cargo terminal at Mangaluru International Airport started international operations on July 2, 2024.
The operations began with Air India Express flight IX 815 carrying 2,522 kgs of fresh fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi, says an official release.
“The formal launch was done on July 5, 2024, in the presence of the AAHL Cargo team, the leadership team of the Mangaluru International Airport as well as representatives from Customs, IndiGo, Air India Express and CISF.”
Mangalore International Airport is the second busiest international airport of Karnataka, and is at a distance of 16 kms from the city of Mangaluru.
Some services at the air cargo complex Mangaluru:
*Separate warehouse space for export-import cargo
*Custom office with dedicated custom team and banking facilities within the premises
*Bonded trucking facilities
*Temperature controlled cold storage for perishable cargo business
*Strong rooms for valuable cargo; and
*Post office mail and courier handling
The development comes a little over a year after the airport started domestic cargo operations on May 1, 2023. “The Commissioner of Customs on May 10, 2024, had appointed the airport as custodian as well as a customs cargo service provider, green signalling 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.”
Manoj Singh, Chief Cargo Officer, Adani Airport Holdings with team members at Mangaluru Airport
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 colouring material and ship parts (propeller) in the form of belly cargo, the release added.
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 handled 3,706.02 tonnes of cargo in the first 11-months of its operations during the financial year 2023-24, the release added. “The total domestic cargo handled included 279.21 tonnes of inbound and 3,426.8 tonnes of outbound cargo. Interestingly, 95 percent of the outbound domestic cargo was post-office mail, consisting of bank and UIDAI-related documents such as credit/debit and Aadhaar cards.”
Mangaluru is one of the seven airports Adani Airport Holdings operates in the country. The group is also building the second airport in Mumbai, the Navi Mumbai International Airport.