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If everything goes well as per the plan, then the air cargo complex in Mangalore will be a reality soon, writes Naina J A

With Mangalore having a port, airport, road and railway connectivity, there is a huge potential for the export of vegetables, flowers and marine products to foreign countries.

The stakeholders from business and industry have been demanding an air cargo complex at the Bajpe airport. With the airport functioning from the new terminal, the air cargo complex can be set up at the old terminal.

A high level committee of the Airports Authority of India visited the Mangalore airport recently and made a study on the setting up of the air cargo complex after holding discussion with the stakeholders.

Speaking to City Herald, Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva said “the committee headed by AAI South zone executive director Devaraj, General Manager (Cargo Operations) Y K Goel and members Murali, Venugopal, Charan Shukla, D P Singh visited the airport and studied the possibilities of setting up of air cargo complex after making minor alterations at the old terminal for handling the cargo. The team held talks with the stakeholders on the availability of the cargo, daily. The team will submit its report to the AAI soon.”

The AAI has also received a proposal from the Coast Guard on the operation of a helicopter squadron and an aircraft squadron from the old terminal building of the airport. The AAI will study the proposal on air cargo complex and of that of Coast Guard before coming to a final decision, said sources.

A blue print of the design with minor alterations to the existing structure  will be submitted to the Customs department for the approval, added sources.

In the meantime, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has offered to take up the custodianship of cargo taking forward the proposal to set up a cargo complex at the Mangalore Airport.

The AAI had written to the Customs Department that it would take up custodianship of cargo. If the cargo operations were to begin at the airport, the Customs Department would have to declare it fit to handle cargo under Section 8 of Customs Act, 1962, after assessing infrastructure at airport. It had declared the airport fit to handle bags and baggage and not cargo.

The director of the airport in a letter to the Customs Department has requested the department to exempt it (AAI) from bearing the cost of salary of its (customs department) staff members who would be deputed on duty at the air cargo complex.

The old terminal building has enough space for handling cargo. Four aircraft could be parked at the apron of old terminal building at Bajpe, he added.

Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President G G Mohandas Prabhu said that according to an assessment by the Chamber, five to six tonnes of cargo would be available for handling at the airport daily or 200 metric tonne cargo per month.

The products which will be exported are fruits, vegetables, electronic items, flowers, ornamental fish, marine products, value added eatables and so on. Once the cargo is booked, then the vehicle from AAI would load it to the aircraft, he added.

In a meeting organised by the KCCI on November 8, Air India, Mangalore Station Manager Chellam Prasad had said that Air India Express could take one tonne of cargo to Dubai on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Dubai-bound aircraft on those days originated from Mangalore instead of Kozhikode. She said space for cargo could be blocked on those days.

In fact, KCCI has been seriously pursuing the matter of air cargo complex with authorities concerned for the last four years.

KCCI had written a letter to Arvind Singh, Commissioner of Customs, Mangalore in 2007 and had said that the cargo would even go up to 45,000 tonnes a year by 2011-12. In the letter he had said that the region has the potential to supply 4,500 tonnes of cargo by 2008-09 at 15 tonnes a day. In 2009-10, the supply could go up to 10,500 tonnes of cargo at 35 tonnes a day and even grow to 22,500 tonnes in 2010-11 at 75 tonnes a day. In the letter, the then KCCI president Kumble Narasimha Prabu had said that fresh vegetables and fruits, chilled marine products, processed vegetables, prepared food, electronic parts, garments and accessories could be supplied to the airport for cargo operations.

The letter said that electronic and computer parts and life-saving medicines could be imported through the airport. There will be considerable improvement in real earnings of agriculturists and the employees in this region due to this activity.

The airlines will benefit from the additional revenue of the cargo, the letter added.