Notwithstanding a spurt in export cargo growth, offloading of shipments takes place at regular intervals at the Tiruchi international airport for a mosaic of reasons.
Although foreign carriers lift cargo to the optimum level to different overseas destinations from Tiruchi every day, sudden offload of shipments at the eleventh hour causes anxiety to the export community and other stakeholders.
With cargo being despatched in the available belly space in the aircraft, they get offloaded on many an occasion at the last moment because of a gamut of factors.
Increased passenger load, more fuel intake in flight, sudden change of aircraft and temperature are some of the reasons attributed for cargo offload, say airport sources.
In addition to these, cargo remains grounded when an aircraft in which it is to be despatched is grounded for technical reasons for several hours.
In the absence of dedicated cargo freighters, the export community of the region left with no other option but to bank on the available belly space in the passenger aircraft to ship their commodities abroad.
However, the priority for the airlines was passengers and their baggage with cargo accommodated in the left over belly space in the flights.
Cargo was shipped to various overseas destinations, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, and West Asian destinations from Tiruchi with perishable commodities accounting for the bulk.
The airlines had been lifting cargo to the optimum level with the quantum of shipments exceeding 15 tonnes every day, say airport sources.
The cargo was being shipped in Air Asia, Sri Lankan Airlines, Malindo Air, Tiger Airways, and Air India Express.
With spike in international passengers’ movement at Tiruchi airport, space in the aircraft becomes a key factor when it comes to accommodating cargo. The low-cost foreign carriers operating flights from and to Tiruchi from different overseas destinations enjoy heavy patronage.
Exporters despatching cargo to West Asia destinations and other countries had to necessarily route it through Colombo, a major hub that had direct connectivity to West Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Far East Asian countries.
Barring the Air India Express that operates flights in the Tiruchi-Dubai sector, there was no connectivity to other key West Asia destinations where the cargo was despatched from Tiruchi.
Highly perishable commodities such as chilled fish and other marine products face the brunt when offloading takes place or when the aircraft gets grounded for technical reasons.
Sudden offload puts heavy pressure on the exporters with the cargo especially highly perishable ones in the danger of losing its quality, says S.A. Syed, an exporter and president of Express Courier Operators Association, South India, and added that it would lead to foreign revenue loss.
The buyer at the foreign destination would look forward to another seller so that he got the commodity at the scheduled time, says the exporter. It was in scenario that the shippers feel that exclusive cargo freighters would ease the situation.
Airport sources say the Sri Lankan Airlines was eyeing on operating a dedicated cargo freighter in the Tiruchi–Colombo sector with a couple of frequencies a week.
The airlines which had commenced their operations since long wants to be an early bird to tap the robust cargo market from Tiruchi.
The airlines had preliminary discussions with respect to operating cargo freighters with the aviation industry stakeholders, say the sources. The Sri Lankan Airlines had a wide aviation network from Colombo to varied destinations including Europe, the U.S., West Asia and Far East which would come in handy for freight forwarders shipping cargo to these countries, say the sources.
A slew of reasons attributed for cargo offload
Sri Lankan Airlines eyeing on operating cargo freighter in the Tiruchi- Colombo sector
