| Carriers - Cathay Pacific Commences Freighter Operations from RGIA |
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Cathay Pacific, one of the world’s leading international air cargo carriers, announces its expansion in India with a new twice-weekly Boeing 747-400F service to Hyderabad. This development makes Cathay Pacific the first airline to offer air cargo services linking India’s fourth most populous city with Asia, South Pacific & West coast of North & Latin Americas. The first flight to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is scheduled to land at 2010 hrs. It will depart to Hong Kong at 2140 hrs. The launch of this new cargo service will not only strengthen Cathay Pacific’s position as one of the biggest Air Cargo operators in India but also mark a new milestone for the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL). RGIA’s Cargo Terminal is India’s first modular integrated Cargo facility spread over an area of 14,330 sq mtrs with a capacity to handle 150,000 Metric Tonnes of cargo annually. This terminal also has India’s only dedicated pharmaceutical handling facility “The Pharma Zone”, which offers a Truck-Dock to Airside temperature controlled environment for handling Pharma products. While Air Freight volumes in India have grown at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.3% since 2008-09, RGIA recorded a 12.5% CAGR. It currently manages around 2000 flights a week serving all the major cities in the country and the regions of the world namely Africa, Europe, USA, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Trans-shipment facilities through Road Feeder Services (RFS) allow safe, secure and reliable transportation of Bonded & Non-bonded shipments to connect Hyderabad with key cities in India via surface which results in a high level of service delivery and cost efficient operations. The RFS network, both temperature & non-temperature controlled, is expected to boost cargo throughput at RGIA, offering the industry globally benchmarked solutions. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vikram Jaisinghani, Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) said, “Commencing operations by the world’s leading cargo airline like Cathay Pacific, stands testimony to the world class facilities and immense potential waiting to be tapped at RGIA. India, and in particular Hyderabad, is fast emerging as an important pharmaceutical manufacturing centre with 70% of the exports coming from Hyderabad alone. Cathay Pacific’s expertise, along with the connectivity and the modern infrastructure at Hyderabad Airport will enable us to offer our customers the best and most reliable infrastructure facility for air cargo transport.” Source: GMR May 22, 2012 |
