Kerala exporters to benefit as Mangaluru Airport launches international cargo operations

Mangaluru (Karnataka): Mangaluru International Airport has begun international cargo operations from its integrated cargo terminal. The inaugural flight IX 815 carried 2,522 kg of fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi, officials said on Saturday.

This development will enable exporters from coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and the hinterland to export perishables such as fresh fruits and vegetables, food, machine parts, textiles, shoes, tropical fish, frozen and dry fish, plastic colouring material, and ship parts (propellers) as belly cargo. IndiGo and Air India Express, with their extensive connectivity, will facilitate the export of goods to Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.

The formal launch on Friday was attended by the AAHL Cargo team, the leadership team of Mangaluru International Airport, and representatives from Customs, airlines IndiGo and Air India Express, and the Airport Security Group of CISF.

Officials noted that this milestone comes a little over a year after the airport began domestic cargo operations on 1 May 2023. The Commissioner of Customs appointed the airport as a Custodian and a Customs Cargo Service Provider on 10 May this year, paving the way for the start of international cargo operations.

In the interim, the airport vigorously pursued its status as a Customs Cargo Service Provider, collaborating with regulatory authorities and airline partners.

On the domestic front, the airport has successfully handled 3,706.02 tonnes of cargo in the first 11 months of its operation from 1 May 2023, during the financial year 2024-25. This included 279.21 tonnes of inbound and 3,426.8 tonnes of outbound cargo. Notably, 95 per cent of the outbound domestic cargo consisted of post-office mail, including bank and UIDAI-related documents such as credit/debit and Aadhaar cards, officials said.

With PTI inputs