3 months after notification, air courier cargo from Trichy yet to take off

 Air India Express will in the near future start lifting cargo from Trichy, its first-ever operation from the city when it materialises, S S Pirakalathan, operations manager told TOI on Tuesday.

He also said the commercial department had asked for a report about the infrastructure development so that the airline could play a role in promoting export.

Exporters are miffed that despite the fact that the Union ministry of finance officially notified Trichy international airport for courier cargo movements as early as July 12 this year, nothing has been moved in the direction of infrastructure development. As a result, a formal notification that should have been issued by Trichy customs commissioner based on the Central notification is not issued until today. A source at the customs who did not want to be named said, "The airports authority has not provided even a scanner, so what is the point in releasing the formal order. Let them keep their house in order." S A Sayeed, the president of Express Courier Operators Association who has been in the forefront to get the courier cargo notification issued said all the initial enthusiasm died down as the airports authority did not take any initiative to start the courier cargo movement. There was much jubilation in July as express cargo industry was expected to benefit largely and people will have the facility to send personal gifts, documents and small parcels across the world without going through the usual customs formalities that would now be taken care of by courier firms.

Sayeed said that there was scope to send at least five tonnes of cargo a day in the two international flights and at the rate of a minimum Rs 30 per kg the Air India Express would lose about Rs 5 crore per annum in lost revenues. "Our stand is that if the airports authority in Trichy could not provide the necessary infrastructure, let them outsource the service like it is done in many of the Indian airports," Sayeed said.

Source