KSIEL to build air cargo complex at Kerala airport

INDIA's Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd (KSIEL) is proposing to develop a greenfield air cargo complex at the international airport in Thiruvananthapuram.

KSIEL managing director MD Josemon said that the KSIEL would soon appoint a consultant to prepare a project to establish a high-tech air cargo complex at Vallakkadavu at a cost of INR90 crore (US$18.6 million).

The state government is expected to allocate 15 acres of land to the KSIEL, reports the Express News Service, after receiving in-principle official approval to develop the facility amid projections that air freight volumes will increase at the airport in the coming years.

The project has been envisaged considering the rapid increase in the number of international flights landing at the airport. We are targeting to achieve a revenue of around INR18 crore once the project becomes operational, Mr Josemon was quoted as saying.

He said that the KSIEL is likely to focus on the service sector.

On a separate expansion project, work on expanding the existing cargo complex at the Karippur airport, where the second phase of the cargo complex at Kozhikode airport is under development, is anticipated to be completed in the next five to six months, he said.

The block, with an area of 2,140 square metres will have all the facilities for various departments and agencies,he added, including a dedicated export bay for providing other facilities such as cargo screening by x-ray machine.

Source: Schednet