Nagpur Airport readying to be a major cargo hub

With a view to developing the Nagpur airport into a cargo and passenger hub, the civil aviation ministry has proposed a five-year exemption on all airport and navigation charges. This is for airlines undertaking cargo operations to and from the Nagpur airport. The exemption extends to both domestic and international sectors. According to civil aviation minister Praful Patel, work on the new cargo terminal will start in a few months and the objections raised by defence authorities on land-related issues have been sorted out. Earlier, at an IATA summit, he said the government was looking at opening up the aviation sector more and was already deliberating allowing 74% FDI in air cargo, non-scheduled operation and sea planes, among others. Air cargo has not even scratched the surface of cargo industry in India.

According to the Airbus market outlook for the next 20 years, the number of dedicated freights in India will go up from the current dismal figure of eight to around 165 aircraft by 2025. Public sector carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India, have already firmed up their plans to convert some of their ageing fleet into dedicated cargo freighters and use Nagpur as the centre of their cargo operations. Buoyed by the opening up of the retail sector, private sector low fare carriers-Air Deccan, Go Air, SpiceJet and Indigo, also plan to launch cargo operations soon. A joint venture company of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) will develop the cargo hub.

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