After a long wait, Vishakhapatnam, in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has a new international air cargo complex.

The new cargo hub was inaugurated by Indian civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju at Visakhapatnam International Airport, giving a boost to export and import operations from the state.

Speaking at the inauguration event, the minister said that international air cargo was a small beginning and that Visakhapatnam airport would compete with the Mumbai and Chennai airports in cargo handling in the future. The Visakhapatnam region has vast potential for both the import and export of several types of cargo.

Commodities being exported from Visakhapatnam include frozen seafood, cashews, food products, ceramics, minerals, metals and ores, machinery and spares and building materials.

With the cargo hub, many pharmaceutical and apparel companies hope to be able to export their products directly to foreign countries, instead of first sending their goods to Chennai and Hyderabad.

Visakhapatnam airport director Prakash Reddy said currently more than 4,000 tonnes of pharma cargo from coastal Andhra Pradesh is being exported through Hyderabad. He also noted that the Brandix India Apparel City at the Andhra Pradesh Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in Atchutapuram has been depending on Chennai and for its exports as well as imports of raw material, and that agriculture-based industries from nearby Vizianagaram and the iron-based alloy industries and the cashew industry in Srikakulam must rely on other airports for their exports.

Raju said that the Andhra Pradesh government has given land for the extension of the runways in the cities of Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram to facilitate the landing of larger aircraft there, that facilities at the Visakhapatnam airport would be further improved, and that the new greenfield airport at the Bhogapuram area 40 kilometers northeast of Visakhapatnam will also help meet future needs of the region.

Welcoming the move, G. Sambasiva Rao, president of the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF) said that the ability to handle international cargo will benefit many industries from Visakhapatnam region, as they will be able to export and import products directly. This will be a major boost to trade and industry from the coastal districts.

The airport will be operated and managed by Gujarat-based GSEC Limited.

By Jagdish Kumar

India Correspondent | Mumbai