MIA launches int'l cargo service

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has initiated international cargo services from its integrated cargo terminal. The first flight, IX 815, transported 2,522kg of fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi on July 2. The official inauguration was held on Friday, attended by the Adani Airport Holdings Limited cargo team, the leadership team of MIA, and representatives from customs, airlines, and the Airport Security Group of CISF.

This significant milestone was achieved just over a year after the airport commenced domestic cargo operations on May 1, 2023. On May 10, 2024, the commissioner of customs designated the airport as a custodian and a Customs Cargo Service Provider (CCSP), allowing the commencement of international cargo operations. The airport diligently worked with regulatory authorities and airline partners to secure its status as a CCSP during the intervening period.

The initiation of international cargo operations will facilitate exporters from coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and the hinterland to export perishable goods 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 enable exporters to transport cargo to Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.

In terms of domestic cargo, the airport has performed well, handling 3,706 tonnes of cargo in the first eleven months of its operation, from May 1, 2023, during the financial year 2024-25. The total domestic cargo handled included 279.2 tonnes of inbound and 3,426.8 tonnes of outbound cargo. Notably, 95% of the outbound domestic cargo consisted of post-office mail, including bank and UIDAI-related documents, such as credit and debit cards, as well as Aadhaar cards.

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