Minister Shashi Panja to inaugurate new cargo terminal at Andal airport

Bengal Aerotropolis Project Limited (BAPL) has set up a cargo terminal at Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Durgapur, which is due to be inaugurated by state Cabinet minister of Industry and Commerce, Shashi Panja, on Monday.

It is learnt that this is the second such cargo terminal at the airport. Further, sources at the airport in Andal, Durgapur said India’s domestic carrier IndiGo Airlines has bagged the contract for cargo operations from this airport. The approval is said to have come from the country’s civil aviation regulator. The maiden cargo operation will begin on Monday after the cargo terminal is inaugurated by the state Cabinet minister.

IndiGo would be handling the cargo from here using its own self-ground handling unit dedicated to this work. The airline operates daily flights from Andal to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, it is learnt. Hence, the airline can carry cargo from Andal on these four routes. Further, from October, IndiGo may also connect Durgapur with Jaipur, Rajasthan.

It is further learnt that a bigger cargo terminal project is also in the pipeline so that later the airport operators could also handle cargo operations using other aircraft. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has often expressed her wish to make Andal the second international airport after Kolkata but it is yet to materialise. The state government is learnt have also increased its stake in the projects of BAPL. In recent times, the airport is said to have undergone a facelift for rendering better services.