Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has processed over 650 tonnes of Covid-19-related relief material from April 1 to May 19.
This includes 542 tonnes of imported and 107 tonnes of domestic material.
While 200 shipments came in April, the first 20 days of May alone accounted for nearly 800 shipments, about 567 tonnes.
During this period, the airport recorded a total of 136 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), including 101 international and 35 domestic, carrying Covid-19 relief material. This included 21 different carriers.
Importing origins
Wuhan and Singapore are the top importing origins. Oxygen concentrators, ventilators and Zeolite were the major import commodities, while Covid-19 vaccines and PPEs were the top domestic inbound cargo.
The airport facilitated processing of 7.8 tonnes of cargo, which included 200 oxygen concentrators from Guangzhou, China, on a specially chartered Indigo flight for the Karnataka government, 150 tonnes of Zeolite, a critical component for generation of oxygen from Rome on special Air India charter flights, between May 16 - 19, for DRDO.
Airport cargo terminal operators – Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore and Air India SATS – have jointly demarcated 1,000 sq ft within their respective premises for expediting clearance of Covid-19-related shipments.
A dedicated team and facilities have been created for speedy handling of relief material.