Bonded trucking facility yet to gather pace at city airport
At a
time when several small airports such as Coimbatore and Madurai have
caught up with the concept of bonded trucking for exporting cargo
consignments, the Trichy International Airport that receives the maximum
amount of cargo is yet to join them. With no dedicated cargo freighter
service and all the passenger aircrafts being loaded fully in the belly
space, airport authorities feel there is a need to push for bonded
trucking service among exporters.
The Trichy Airport has been growing at a tremendous pace when compared to all the other airports in the country. Over 4,500 tonnes of cargo is airlifted from the airport in a year and it is all set to reach 6,500 tonnes in the current year. The cargo facility was introduced at the airport four years ago at a cost of Rs 45 crore by the AAI. The old terminal of the airport was changed into cargo terminals, measuring up to 4,000 sqm. It has the capacity to accommodate at least 250 tonnes.
Exporters from the city constantly complain that cargo shipments remain stagnated at the airport due to the lack of space in the passenger aircrafts. With BHEL located here, there is even a potential for sending industrial wares through the bonded trucking facility, says a top official attached to the cargo department of Airports Authority of India. "Since Trichy International Airport is known for exporting perishable commodities, bonded trucking facility, if introduced, can pave way for non-perishable goods," the official added.
At present, Air Asia that operates 21 flights in a week to the Trichy airport uses the facility with cargo being brought even from Chennai through the trucks for filling up the cargo space in the flights. Coimbatore, Madurai and Bangalore are the top destinations for Air Asia from where trucks loaded with cargo are shipped.
However, S A Sayeed, president of Export Courier Operators Association (South), said the problem lies with the customs authorities in not providing an electronic data interface (EDI) facility at the airport. The EDI clearance is mandatory for the export of all goods that is provided by the customs and it is software where everything can be done digitally. However, things are done manually at the airport here discouraging the exporters. The online facility already exists in Madurai and Coimbatore airports.
The Trichy Airport has been growing at a tremendous pace when compared to all the other airports in the country. Over 4,500 tonnes of cargo is airlifted from the airport in a year and it is all set to reach 6,500 tonnes in the current year. The cargo facility was introduced at the airport four years ago at a cost of Rs 45 crore by the AAI. The old terminal of the airport was changed into cargo terminals, measuring up to 4,000 sqm. It has the capacity to accommodate at least 250 tonnes.
Exporters from the city constantly complain that cargo shipments remain stagnated at the airport due to the lack of space in the passenger aircrafts. With BHEL located here, there is even a potential for sending industrial wares through the bonded trucking facility, says a top official attached to the cargo department of Airports Authority of India. "Since Trichy International Airport is known for exporting perishable commodities, bonded trucking facility, if introduced, can pave way for non-perishable goods," the official added.
At present, Air Asia that operates 21 flights in a week to the Trichy airport uses the facility with cargo being brought even from Chennai through the trucks for filling up the cargo space in the flights. Coimbatore, Madurai and Bangalore are the top destinations for Air Asia from where trucks loaded with cargo are shipped.
However, S A Sayeed, president of Export Courier Operators Association (South), said the problem lies with the customs authorities in not providing an electronic data interface (EDI) facility at the airport. The EDI clearance is mandatory for the export of all goods that is provided by the customs and it is software where everything can be done digitally. However, things are done manually at the airport here discouraging the exporters. The online facility already exists in Madurai and Coimbatore airports.
Post a Comment