International cargo operations begin from Bhubaneswar airport

Air Asia to run first international flight to Kuala Lumpur

International air cargo operations equipped with custom clearance facilities have re-commenced from the Biju Patnaik international airport here with two export-bound consignments. Marine products by Mahalaxmi Exports and spices from Bharat Spices were booked at the airport for exports.

"Export facilities through air route would boost production, processing, packing and other allied activities in sectors like gems, jewellery, costly minerals, fruits, vegetables, marine products, applique works, stone artifacts, handicrafts, manufacturing and food processing etc. All these would create more employment opportunities in the state", said Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi.

Padhi said international air cargo operations had started from the Bhubaneswar airport in 1995 and continued till 2003. Then, cargo operations were stopped for some unavoidable reasons. Cargo facility at the airport has resumed with modern equipment and the consignments can be directly dispatched to different countries.

Sanjay Jain, regional executive director, Airports Authority of India (AAI) said: "The air cargo operations will help export of high value, perishable cargo. Initially, the consignments will be routed through Delhi or Mumbai and later, they can be shipped directly to different countries with the commencement of international flight operations."

He said, Air Asia has confirmed to run the first direct international flight from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) on March 27.

In 2015-16, Odisha exported products worth Rs 20,591 crore. In the current fiscal, exports have already touched Rs 18,300 crore by the end of October. Restarting of air cargo operations is expected to benefit the exporters in various sectors.

Exporters have shared their concerns with regard to early customs clearance; operationalisation of cold storage facility at the airport; scanning of the fish and other marine product packets instead of opening and repacking for security checks with the respective authorities. Deepak Arora, commissioner (Customs), said due care would be taken for early dispatch of the consignments with special attention on dispatch of the perishable products. He assured that the clearance of all perishable commodities would be done within three hours at the cargo terminal.

The Bhubaneswar airport has been growing at an encouraging rate during the last couple of years. Presently, the airport is operating on H24 basis with connectivity to Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Port Blair, Vizag and Varanasi. The passenger traffic during 2016-17 up to December 31 has grown at the rate of 23.11% compared to 2015-16.