Exim business on skids at Thiruvananthapuram international airport

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Import and export cargo from Thiruvananthapuram international airport is witnessing a declining trend. While the tight vigil of customs officials is cited as one reason , the disturbing job scenario in the Gulf sector and competitive cargo fares from Nedumbasserry airport also play part for the declining trend. According to sources at the Thiruvananthapuram airport cargo complex, the import cargo that was 1,400 ton per month a couple of years ago is now 60 tons. In the case of export cargo, including perishable goods like vegetables, fruits and fish, there has been a decline of 20 percent.

NRIs in Gulf countries are customers of 90 percent of the export cargo. “It seems the grim job scenario in Gulf has made many impose restrictions on spending, affecting the demand for exports from here,” said Agricultural Products and Processed Foods Exporters’ Association (APPFEA) honorary secretary Mr. Dil Koshy. Moreover, airlines are offering lower cargo rate for export from Kochi. “While the distance to Gulf countries from Thiruv-ananthpuram and Kochi are almost the same, airlines offer lower cargo fares in the Kochi-Gulf sector due to availability of more flights. Hence many now prefer to export from Kochi,” said Mr. Koshy.

The facilities at the cargo complex also need to be spruced up, he added. “There is a congestion at the cargo complex during peak hours between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. It also lacks a proper cool room facility,” said Mr. Koshy.   Sources also pointed out that the decline in export cargo was witnessed after the CBI initiated probes against some customs officials a couple of years back for alleged malpractices in clearing import cargo.