Airport in Hyderabad to double cargo-handling, says official

: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, is in the process of doubling the cargo-handling capacity in the next couple of years, a top official said Tuesday.

The airport currently handles 1.5 lakh tonnes of cargo though the facility was originally designed to handle only one lakh tonnes, chief executive officer of GHIAL SGK Kishore said, while claiming this was possible because of efficient operation.

''We're doing a study on the requirement for increasing the cargo-handling capacity, which category of cargo, and what facility is required. So, when I say doubling, the present 1.5 lakh tonnes could become three lakh tonnes,'' he said.

When the report gets over and designs were made available, then we shall decide on the final figure,'' Kishore told reporters on the sidelines of a programme.

''Assuming the new facilities (after expansion) are in place in the next two or two-and-a-half years, it will be the time for us to handle the additional capacities,'' he said.

He further said exclusive terminals to handle perishables and express cargo were being set up, besides a logistics park on a 100-acre land.

Kishore said cargo-handling was growing at eight to nine per cent every year, about 50 to 60 per cent of which comprised pharmaceutical products.