Tiruchi airport to be notified as air cargo complex soon
The Tiruchi Airport would soon be notified as an air cargo complex, paving the way for direct export and import of cargo from here.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs has recently approved the airport as an air cargo complex and the formal notification is expected soon, airport sources told The Hindu.
The airport is likely to function as an air cargo complex from December 1, the sources added.
Air operators of the region have long been demanding that the airport be declared as an international customs port to enable export and import of general cargo. Currently only perishables are allowed to be exported from here to three foreign destinations, including Sharjah and Colombo.
A proposal on the issue was sent from here and the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, had conducted an inspection of the airport a couple of months back.
According to sources, the notification declaring the airport as a cargo complex would be issued after a proposal on staff requirement was approved by the Union government.
Air operators say there was ‘huge potential' for export and imports from Tiruchi. “This is a big business opportunity that has to be exploited. Though the focus so far has been on increasing the air connectivity, it is time that steps were taken to exploit the cargo market,” says a top official of a leading airline. There was much potential for exporting various products including readymade garments and handloom items from Karur and computer hardware.
Once the declaration was made, business was bound to grow, they said.
Airport sources said that the necessary infrastructure for the cargo complex would be created at the airport in due course. The airport has already undergone expansion and boasts a state-of-the-art new terminal with a capacity to handle about 400 passengers at a time. A further expansion of the airport runway and more development are on the cards once the land acquisition was completed.
Meanwhile, Singapore-based low cost carrier Tiger Airways would launch its services on the Singapore-Tiruchi-Singapore sector from Monday.
The service would be operated four days a week. The flight would arrive at Tiruchi from Singapore at 11.10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flights would depart from here at 12.10 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs has recently approved the airport as an air cargo complex and the formal notification is expected soon, airport sources told The Hindu.
The airport is likely to function as an air cargo complex from December 1, the sources added.
Air operators of the region have long been demanding that the airport be declared as an international customs port to enable export and import of general cargo. Currently only perishables are allowed to be exported from here to three foreign destinations, including Sharjah and Colombo.
A proposal on the issue was sent from here and the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, had conducted an inspection of the airport a couple of months back.
According to sources, the notification declaring the airport as a cargo complex would be issued after a proposal on staff requirement was approved by the Union government.
Air operators say there was ‘huge potential' for export and imports from Tiruchi. “This is a big business opportunity that has to be exploited. Though the focus so far has been on increasing the air connectivity, it is time that steps were taken to exploit the cargo market,” says a top official of a leading airline. There was much potential for exporting various products including readymade garments and handloom items from Karur and computer hardware.
Once the declaration was made, business was bound to grow, they said.
Airport sources said that the necessary infrastructure for the cargo complex would be created at the airport in due course. The airport has already undergone expansion and boasts a state-of-the-art new terminal with a capacity to handle about 400 passengers at a time. A further expansion of the airport runway and more development are on the cards once the land acquisition was completed.
Meanwhile, Singapore-based low cost carrier Tiger Airways would launch its services on the Singapore-Tiruchi-Singapore sector from Monday.
The service would be operated four days a week. The flight would arrive at Tiruchi from Singapore at 11.10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flights would depart from here at 12.10 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
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