Drastic fall in cargo at Dumdum airport

Kolkata: Cargo handling at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport has fallen drastically due to the slowdown and exit of Tata Motors’ Nano car project from Singur in West Bengal, raising questions about how capacity will be utilised once the airport modernisation is over.
In 2009, it handled cargo of 100 tonne per day. “We had planned with certain growth projections in mind. We estimated that with Nano we will have 100 tonne import everyday. Now it is only 30 tonne everyday,” said R Srinivasan, director of NSCBI.
The Airport Authority of India has taken up an ambitious Rs 2,000 crore modernisation project. The modernization plan includes secondary runway extension to 400 metres on the northern side, new parking bays and rapid taxibay.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an interactive session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, he said, “Business should come with the investments. Unless the trade bodies make use of it creating infrastructure will not be of any help.”
22/01/10 Financial Express

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010, Cargo Jan 2010