Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR) is once more the top airport in India for handling perishable shipments, its operator has announced.
BLR Airport recorded 52,366 metric tonnes of perishable shipments in FY 2021-22, compared to the previous year’s 48,130 metric tonnes. More than 40% of South India’s air cargo perishable tonnage is currently handled by BLR, making it the leading airport for perishables in India.
Growth has been driven by fruit and vegetables, along with the export of poultry and flowers. In FY 2022, 36,493 metric tonnes of poultry and 1,952 metric tonnes of flowers were exported from BLR. Doha was the leading destination, followed by Singapore, London, and Malé Airport in the Maldives. A total of 33 cargo freighter airlines transported perishable shipments from BLR Airport to 85 international destinations in the same financial year.
“BLR Airport has the advantage of dedicated cold zones, enabling processing of perishable goods for export, which is the highest in India. The infrastructure that we provide ensures cold-chain integrity and seamless movement of perishables, without any change in the optimum storage temperature. Our recent partnerships with multiple cargo partners for infrastructure and technology will only make the airport’s cargo capacity stronger and even better”, said Satyaki Raghunath, chief strategy and development officer at BLR operator Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).
BLR’s cargo terminals have a cold-chain handling capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes annually. Its dedicated cold zone provides temperature zones ranging from -25°C to + 8°C under the same roof.
The current annual cargo capacity of BLR Airport is 715,000 metric tonnes, making it the largest cargo processing capacity in South India. The airport aims to expand its cargo infrastructure to provide a capacity of approximately 1.5 million metric tonnes by the mid-2030s.
Image: Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL)
