MIA all set to start domestic cargo handling under private partnership

Mangaluru, Jun 20: The Mangalore International Airport located at Kenjar on the outskirts of the city is all set for the commissioning of the domestic air cargo terminal on June 26 as the Airports Authority of India has finalised the agency to run facility.

With this the MIA will be the first airport off the blocks among 22 domestic air cargo terminals to operate the same with private participation. Currently, domestic air cargo terminals are available in Coimbatore, Lucknow, Jaipur etc apart from apart from the metro airports and these are managed by AAI.

JT Radahakrishna, Airport Director, MIA, said that the Mumbai-based Cargo Service Centre (CSE), a ground-handling services company, will commence the operation of common user domestic cargo terminal at the airport from June 26.

The facility will be made available to the public with the help of domestic airlines in the country, he said.

The domestic cargo terminal offers scope for handling many valuable goods, perishables, medicines, and essential machinery parts from one airport to other airport in the country.

At present, Mangalore airport handles around 150-200 tonnes of mail bags a month from the passenger terminal building itself. To meet security and operational requirements and to avoid inconvenience to passengers, a separate common user domestic cargo terminal is established, he said.

The cargo terminal had come up in old Dakkan Park building, a private building which was handed over to the AAI by the State government, last year.

Once the cargo terminal is opened, all kinds of cargo could be handled for cargo flights. This would give industries and traders an opportunity to send and receive cargo within India.

He said that the private agency selected would be exempted from paying royalty of the total business to the AAI for two years to attract more cargo to the airport.

The airport has been operating an international cargo terminal since May 2013.