Focus on air cargo boost in Biju Patnaik International Airport

BHUBANESWAR: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) has recorded a remarkable growth in passenger traffic, said BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota on Friday.Speaking at a workshop on air cargo development organised by AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS) here, Hota said with more than 42 departures in a day, there is a huge scope for air cargo development in the airport. “The workshop was organised to optimise the available resources and examine whether there was a requirement to take any other steps in this regard,” he said. 

Principal Secretary, Agriculture department Saurabh Garg said though there is a huge production in horticulture sector in the State, only limited quantities are being exported to other parts of the country. “Horticulture sector needs to be promoted and we have to ensure that flower producers get access to air cargo facility,” he said. 

Garg suggested for setting up separate chambers for fisheries and horticulture exports in the cold storage available in the airport.   During the event, AAICLAS officials said Odisha, which is one of the fastest growing States in the country, is expected to generate a revenue of over `10,000 crore from sea food exports in the coming years. In 2016-17, more than 1,51,000 tonne of fish was exported from Odisha to other States and foreign countries. The workshop consisted of two sessions - air cargo development, opportunities and challenges and infrastructure development and operational challenges.

Among others, Principal Secretary, General Administration and Public Grievance department Ashok Kumar Meena, Additional Chief Secretary of MSME department Laxmi Narayan Gupta, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts department Shubha Sarma, AAICLAS chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra and AAICLAS chief executive officer Keku Bomi Gazder were present.