Despite a steady rise in overseas flight services from Tiruchy International Airport, the volume of cargo exports has shown little growth, raising concerns among exporters. The Export Import Federation, Tiruchy, has urged measures including a district-level export promotion committee, a logistics park, and a modern export terminal with cold storage facilities at the airport.
Since the airport was declared a cargo port in 2011, more than 95% of consignments handled have been perishable commodities such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
However, cargo growth has remained sluggish. Federation members pointed out that non-perishable items account for less than 5% of the exports, while import cargo operations are absent. Cargo volume rose from 4,945 tonnes in 2021-22 to 6,478 tonnes in 2024-25, which exporters say is not substantial when compared to the growth in flight services.
Currently, the airport operates 35 weekly services to Singapore and 24 to Kuala Lumpur, where a major share of the cargo is lifted. Freight charges at Tiruchy Airport are also higher than those at Chennai, Cochin, and Bengaluru, said federation president N Kanagasabapathy.
“While other airports charge Rs 35 to Rs 45 per kg, Tiruchy charges Rs 65 to Rs 85. This drives exporters to shift to other airports,” he said. In this backdrop, the federation has submitted its demands to Tiruchy MP Durai Vaiko. It sought the formation of a district-level export promotion committee with senior officials from central and state agencies, and the district administration.
It also called for a logistics park linked to the export terminal, expansion of cargo handling space, modern cold storage and better facilities for farm produce. Additionally, exporters have requested the Union government to exempt agricultural products from GST on air freight and to establish a world-class grading and packing facility.