A cargo terminal at Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (KNIA) in Bengal’s Durgapur was inaugurated by Industry and Commerce minister Shashi Panja on Monday.
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited, the owner of the KNIA, has constructed the terminal for the commencement of cargo operations, the company said.
There are six daily flights from the airport near the industrial town of Durgapur, around 171 km from Kolkata, connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, being operated by Indigo and SpiceJet.
The passenger load in these routes is around 90 per cent.
The new terminal is equipped with all modern facilities to enable smooth movement of air cargo, the company said in a statement.
“The main cargo expected to move in and out include fruits, vegetables, fish, fish seeds, Bengali sweets, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, medical samples, machinery parts and spares. As per study, cargo movement in the next 8-10 years is expected to reach about 25,000 metric tons,” Bengal Aerotropolis president and CFO Anju Madeka said. The Cargo Terminal has been designed and constructed for facilitating smooth operational workflow catering to the needs of the burgeoning logistics industry.