Turkmenistan Airlines to start cargo services at Amritsar

The move will help decongest Delhi airport.

Turkmenistan Airlines is planning to start dedicated cargo plane services from Rajasansi Airport in Amritsar to places in Europe. The proposed services are expected to give a fillip to the business of cargo transport from Punjab, with some more airlines expected to join the bandwagon.

About 30 per cent of the cargoes originating from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Rajasthan are handled at IGI Airport in Delhi. It is expected that the opening of Amritsar airport as an international cargo hub will not only decongest Delhi airport but would also offer a better, economical and an efficient alternative to it.

Speaking to Business Standard, J Yadav, GM, Turkmenistan Airlines, said: "We are in talks with the airport authority to start cargo plane services. Initially, we will start two flights a week from Amritsar to Europe."

The feasibility report for the project has been prepared by Punjab Agro Industries Corporation and the Agriculture Produce and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA), which say there is an export potential of Rs 100 crore a day from the airport.

Even the Mumbai-based JAC Air Services Private Ltd, which has got the green signal to run cargo operations for the airport and commenced their operation from August 1, sees a potential of 6,000 metric tonnes of cargo to be transported per month, including export and import, which is currently less than 200 metric tonnes a month.

Currently, the cargo is transported through various passenger airlines, besides Afghanistan's national carrier Ariana airlines, which has a chartered service.

According to data for a period of 2006-07, 1,240 tonnes of goods worth Rs 68.38 crore were exported from the airport, whereas during the corresponding period of 2005-06, 670 tonnes of goods worth Rs 28.50 crore were exported. In 2007-08 (till May), 161 tonnes of goods worth Rs 6.42 crore were exported.

Firms that transport their goods through the Rajasansi Airport are Bharti Field Fresh, SK Agro Overseas and Sira Enterprises. About 46 tonnes of goods worth Rs 5.25 crore were imported through the airport till May in the current fiscal while in 2006-07, the imports were 172 metric tonnes worth Rs 12.15 crore.

According to the exporters and importers, transporting goods from the Amritsar airport would ensure lesser transit time for them due to lesser distance and economy of scale as a result of lower handling costs that is 12-15 per cent less compared to the other cargo terminals in the country.