7 months on, Chandigarh airport’s cargo facility fails to take off

Though the approval from security clearances is in, that from customs is still awaited, said Rakesh Dembla, chief executive officer, Chandigarh International Airport Limited

Inaugurated amid much fanfare in November 2021, seven months on, the cargo facility at the Chandigarh International Airport is still awaiting customs’ approval to start operations.

The cargo facility was launched at the Chandigarh airport in November 2021, six years after it got the international tag. (HT File Photo)

Even the rates for both domestic and international cargo, including perishable goods, that will be handled at the airport’s five cargo sheds were approved two months ahead of the inauguration. But the facility has failed to take off.

“Though the approval from security clearances is in, that from customs is still awaited,” said Rakesh Dembla, chief executive officer, Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHAIL).

The cargo facility was launched at the airport six years after it got the international tag. Set up on 14,127 square metres at a cost of ₹11.5 crore, it is pegged as the biggest cargo facility in northern India after Delhi.

Air cargo or air freight allows speedy transportation of commercial goods through an air carrier. At present, the Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHAIL) only provides a common screening facility for domestic cargo, while the airlines — Air India, Indigo, Vistara, and GoAir — are handling the goods on their own.

It was on September 11, 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the international airport. But the air cargo facility was not announced until February 2021.

Anurag Aggarwal, president, Mohali Industries Association, said, “The cargo facility is being needlessly delayed, while industries are forced to send consignments to the Delhi airport by road. Even there, consignments remain lined up for 24 to 48 hours before being loaded onto the aircraft.”