Air cargo movement from Coimbatore International Airport is seeing an increase, especially in the recent months.
According to an official, export cargo that is lifted from the airport is on a rising curve for the last one year. The increase is steep for the last two months. One of the reasons is better international connectivity from Coimbatore such as introduction of flight to Colombo. The average monthly export cargo handled here used to be 350 tonnes. This works out to 15 tonnes to 20 tonnes a day. The monthly average went up to 370 tonnes last month and is expected to be higher this month.
Apart from the increase in volume of cargo handled on a monthly basis, on Tuesday, the daily cargo exported from Coimbatore was 34.5 tonnes, the highest ever handled. This included 18.5 tonnes of bonded trucking going through British Airways and was machinery.
The main products exported through the Coimbatore airport by air are perishables, ayurveda products, garments, and machinery components.
However, the increase is only in exports and is not seen much in imports. The trend is on for a year and is expected to continue this year too, the official said.