Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, has logged a 80 percent growth in the handling of international cargo during the month of September 2008.

RGIA handled total tonnage of 3,570 tonnes of international cargo in September 2008 as compared to 1,986 tonnes handled at the Begumpet airport during the corresponding period last year. This marks an impressive increase of 80 percent.

In the first six months of its commercial operations (April—September 2008), RGIA has clocked a 50 percent increase in international cargo handling. RGIA handled 18,000 tonnes of international cargo during this period compared to 11,000 tonnes at Begumpet airport during the corresponding period last year.

“We are very proud that RGIA has set a record in international cargo handling in the six-month period. Cargo handling at RGIA is picking up fast. Thanks to our aggressive marketing strategies, we are attracting more cargo carriers and freighters to Hyderabad. Earlier, the cargo traffic used to be diverted to other cities but RGIA has successfully commenced reversing this trend,” GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Viswanath Attaluri said.

“With one of the longest runways in the country, RGIA is attracting more long-haul flights and cargo freighters with no payload restrictions.  One of the world’s biggest cargo plane—Boeing 747-400 F—had landed at RGIA in early September 2008 to pick up international cargo from here,” Mr. Viswanath Attaluri added. 

The Air Cargo Complex at RGIA currently has a capacity to handle 100,000 tonnes per annum of cargo. The ultimate cargo handling capacity will be 1.3 million tonnes per annum.

RGIA has dedicated cargo apron facilities both for handling regular and freighter operations with four code ‘C’ freighter aircraft. The RGIA, Hyderabad, is centrally located with two hours’ flying time from all major cities in India and 3 - 5 hours’ from all South -East Asian countries.

GMR-HIAL is a joint venture company promoted by GMR Infrastructure Ltd., (63%); Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%), Airports Authority of India (13%) and Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%), with a mandate to develop a world-class international airport spread over 5,495 acres in Shamshabad, about 25 kms from the main city of Hyderabad.
This project - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport – is set to position Hyderabad as a prominent player in the global aviation map contributing to the prosperity, development and economic well-being of the region.