Bengaluru airport tops perishable cargo export list

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Bangalore International Airport (BIA) was the leading facility of its kind as far as the export of perishable goods is concerned three years in a row, according to data shared by them.

The airport handled a record 53,751 metric tonnes (MT) in the financial year 2022-2023 (FY23), a three per cent increase compared to the previous year (FY22) when the facility handled 52,366MT of perishable cargo.

BIA has a 27 per cent share in total cargo volumes across the Indian air cargo market and 41 per cent share within airports in southern India.

Among perishable goods, the BIA led in the export of poultry and flowers in India with a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous year, exporting 39,865 MT and 1,877 MT respectively.

Additionally, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits were among the top commodities exported by the airport.

Mangoes, during the same period, witnessed a 10 per cent surge in export volume. Countries such as Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Maldives, UAE, Kuwait, and the UK emerged as the top destinations for international exports in FY23.

Currently, the airport’s cargo department operates 25 international destinations and 75 domestic ones, with a total of 13 cargo freighters.