International cargo facility remains elusive for Madurai airport

October 01, 2016 08:08 am | Updated November 09, 2021 01:56 am IST - Madurai

Madurai airport that got a new modern terminal building at a cost of Rs. 129 crore in 2010 was making losses because of increased recurring expenditure.

A Russian Plane in Madurai Air port. Photo: R. Ashok

A Russian Plane in Madurai Air port. Photo: R. Ashok

When Ilyushin-76, long-range transport aircraft, made five landings at Madurai airport in quick successions this month, it brought in not just huge revenue for the loss-making airport, but also underlined the immediate need to have international cargo facility.

The aircraft has been importing and exporting materials to and from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district. This was possible after the Department of Central Excise and Customs made special arrangements for clearance of materials both ways on specific dates.

“Our target of international cargo handling from Madurai airport is 200 tonnes per month. But, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India alone has given us over 300 tonnes of international cargo in the last one month,” Madurai Airport Director, V.V. Rao, said.

He was responding to queries on the status of commissioning international cargo facility at Madurai airport, while addressing members of Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday.

Stating that otherwise such a huge quantity of materials would have gone to airports either in Thiruvananthapuram or Tiruchi, Mr. Rao also said that such movement of international cargo on special request would continue for five months.

Madurai airport that got a new modern terminal building at a cost of Rs. 129 crore in 2010 was making losses because of increased recurring expenditure without adequate number of international flights.

Senior president of the chamber S. Rethinavelu said that though the notification for international cargo facility was issued in 2014, it had not taken off for some reason or other. He pointed out that many airliners that were interested to operate from Madurai to a few international destinations were hesitant only because of lack of international cargo facility, that would bring them better revenue. “Agriculturists here involved in flower and vegetable cultivation will benefit, if export of perishable goods becomes a reality from Madurai airport,” he said.

He said that the chamber, along with exporters, was ready to give a letter of consent to the Department of Customs and Airports Authority of India to make international cargo facility operational in Madurai airport, initially without cold storage facility.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.