Boosting export: Int’l cargo ops resume at city airport

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Bhubaneswar, Jan 27: The Modern international cargo
operations along with custom clearance facilities resumed at the Biju Pattanik
International Airport (BPIA) after a 13 years break.
Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi inaugurated the facility
in the presence of Chief Commissioner Customs Rakesh Sharma, Regional Executive
Director Airports Authority of India Sanjaya Jain, Director BPIA Yudhisthir
Sahoo and Special Secretary, State General Administration and Civil Aviation Ashok
Kumar Meena.
An open house discussion among the State administration, Airport,
Custom authorities and leading 
exporters from the State was organised on the occasion.
Joining the discussion Padhi said that resumption of modern
international cargo operation at the city airport has completed the three
principal routes of exports from Odisha viz. electronic route, sea route and
air route.
“Export facilities through air route would boost production,  processing, packing and other allied  activities in the sectors like  gems, jewelries, costly minerals, fruits,
vegetables,   marine products, appliqué
works, stone artifacts, handicrafts, manufacturing and food processing
etc.  All these would create more employment
opportunities in the State,” said Padhi.   
International cargo operation was first started at
Bhubaneswar airport in 1995 which continued up to 2003.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Principal Secretary Laxmi
Narayan Gupta said that the total export worth from the State in the FY 2015-16
was around Rs 20,591 crore. The export worth has already crossed Rs 18,300 crore
by October, 2016 of current FY i.e.2016-17. In the scenario of growing exports
from Odisha, resumption of international cargo facility would be an added
advantage to the exporters in various sectors.
Two consignments-marine products of Mahalaxmi Exports and
spices products of Bharat Spices were booked at the time of resumption of this
modern facility on Friday.
Presently, the airport is operating on H24 basis with
connectivity to Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Port Blair, Vizag and Varanasi airports. The passenger traffic during
2016-17 up to 31st December has grown at the rate of 23.11% over the last year
i.e. 2015-16. The cargo traffic has also grown at 19.10% during the same period.

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