International status, cargo complex to be a big support at Vijayawada airport
Vijayawada: There is good news for city exporters. The cargo complex at Vijayawada airport is getting ready to be operational within a month from now.
As the Vijayawada airport is getting ready to operate international flights, a new cargo complex is also taking shape and is getting readied.
A Hyderabad-based logistics firm has been issued a work order to run the proposed cargo complex which is expected to start operations from next month.
Until now certain quantum of exports of shrimp, agri products, spices etc from Vijayawada were going to international airports like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi by road. This was hugely time consuming.
With the opening of the new cargo complex, these products will be flown directly thereby reducing the time taken by them to reach these international airports.
"We have already given the work order to a Hyderabad-based logistics firm to operate the cargo complex at Vijayawada airport. The Hyderabad-based firm is now in the process of getting necessary clearances from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India (BCSI). The cargo operations are expected to begin from next month," Vijayawada airport Director, Mr G.M.S. Rao told Deccan Chronicle.
A 200 sq yards of site with a shed near the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower was allotted for the cargo complex. It is learnt that at present 30 tonnes of cargo is expected to be handled in a day at the airport cargo complex with the logistics firm setting a target to handle at least 100 tonnes. Around 20 per cent of the cargo handled at Hyderabad airport comes from Andhra Pradesh.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) had launched international air cargo operations from Vizag airport. Recently Union Home Ministry had issued an Immigration Notification for Vijayawada airport which paves way for the operation of flights to international destinations from the city’s airport. At present, high flyers from the city have to travel to Hyderabad or Chennai to board an international flight.
At present Vijayawada airport has a domestic terminal and there are around 31 flights being operated daily to destinations like Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tirupati and Vizag.
Once the international flights start, exports to those countries can be done directly instead of taking them to other international airports. Silk Air and Emirates are keen to start flights to Singapore and Dubai respectively from Vijayawada.
