Private Funds Needed To Expand Airport Facilities

Experts feel such pooling of resources is essential in view of huge funds required for the purpose and limited resources at the disposal of the government as against the high cargo growth forecasts for the coming years.

The international cargo handled by AAI in 1995-96 was around 430,100 tonnes, while the projection is that this will rise to 695,829 tonne by 2000-2001, or a growth projection of 10 per cent.

In terms of domestic cargo the growth is placed at 4 per cent by the turn of the century. The anticipated increase is from 155,200 tonne in 1994-95 to 314,897 tonne by 2000. The growth forecast for 2005-2010 is 6 per cent.

 

The projections are based on the data supplied by the airlines, IATA, ICAO and similar other agencies.

As for the trend in cargo handling by individual airports, the maximum volume of cargo during 1994-95 was handled by Sahar airport, Bombay, followed by IGI airport Delhi and Madras airport. Then comes Calcutta, Bangalore and Ahmedabad airports.

The major commodities exported from India are leather goods, textile garments, handicrafts, engineering goods and perishables. Perishables enjoy the highest exports in terms of quantity. Therefore, the facilities for handling persihables inlcuding the horticultural products call for greater emphasis.

As for the share of the airlines, Air India commands the highest share in exports (14.8) and imports (20 per cent) while the remaining airlines together take care of the rest in each case.

The major airlines handling the rest are Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Saudi Arabian Airways, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Aeroflot, Singapore Airlines, Kuwait Airways and KLM.

The experts have noted that Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to invest Rs 270 crore to augument cargo handling facilities at the international airports in the ninth plan.

This will be mainly for modernising the facilities to ensure a paperless transaction in cargo handling and clearance through introduction of integrated cargo management systems (ICMS) so that cargo handling becomes smooth, efficient, hassle-free and faster.

The system is already operational at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi so far as the import cargo is concerned. As for export cargo, it is in the final stage of operation. The system is also proposed to be introduced at Madras and Calcutta airports.

Besides, the import warehouse at Mumbai is also being computerised by the year-end.

The proposed Rs 270 crore ninth plan investment is in addition to Rs 80 crore already spent on creating dedicated infrastructural facilities at Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai airports. But it is widely realised that since more cargo needs to be handled efficiently in future, a lot more is required to be done to augument the infrastrucutre.

Particularly, well conceived cargo complexes need to be set up and where they exist, the facilities need to be expanded for speedy handling.

All these facilities, however, need to be located under one roof so that the private sector may respond whole-heartedly.

The following measures accordingly have been suggested: Formulation of transparent guidelines; choice for location of cargo complexes to be left to the private sector; encouragement to be given for setting up commodity-specific cargo complexes: and government to provide single window clearance facilities in place of the present 20 and odd agencies doing the job.

It is also suggested that air crago operation be made an independent cost centre. It is considered desirable that the management and development of air cargo be handled by a separate holding company under AAI umbrella.

In fact it is being pointed out that this has already been suggested by a working group on management of air cargo facilities in India.

In addition to the air majors already crowding the Indian sky it is further pointed out that about 37 airlines have already applied either to start new flights or to increase their existing operations. This will further increase the load at the airports and hence experts stress the need for a public-private participation for capacity augmentation.