Mumbai airport to suspend cargo aircraft operations from Aug 16

New Delhi/Mumbai: The Mumbai airport on Monday "formally informed" cargo operators that freighter aircraft operations will be temporarily suspended from Aug 16 till further notice.
A freighter aircraft is a plane that is designed to transport cargo containers and goods. The majority of air cargo is flown in the belly of the passenger aircraft and these will continue to load and unload cargo at the Mumbai airport.
As for freighter/cargo aircraft, the city airport handles about four to five freighter flights daily, said sources. These primarily carry imports and exports between India and destinations in the Middle East, Europe and the US.
In a letter sent on Monday to cargo operators, the Mumbai airport's head of cargo said that Mumbai International Airport ltd (MIAL) "needs to carry out multiple airside works including building new taxiways for runway 14/32 (secondary runway) to enhance its capacity and bring efficiency in operations". The letter then added that the Mumbai airport "has no option but to temporarily shut down part of the cargo facilities".
Whether these freighter aircraft will move to the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport remains to be seen. While the runway and taxiway of the Navi Mumbai airport is ready, currently it is not equipped to handle cargo operations. Sources pointed out that cargo flights can be handled only if the airport has at least the basic ground infrastructure such as dedicated areas for cargo handling, storage, processing, separate units for hazardous cargo, perishable goods, offices for customs officials, security personnel and then IT infrastructure to process the imports and exports. The question is, will the Navi Mumbai airport have facilities to handle cargo aircraft by mid-August? The latest deadline for commencement of passenger flight operations at the Navi Mumbai airport is June.
In its formal letter to its cargo partners, MIAL said that the Mumbai airport "is the world's busiest single runway operated airport and the most space constrained airport. It is the only airport in the world to cater to 5.5 crore plus passengers with single runway operation."
"MIAL has always ensured that any infrastructure upgrade or additional resource creation is created in a fair and transparent manner. MIAL had therefore carried out consultation on March 13, 2024, on intended infrastructure upgrade giving all relevant stakeholders adequate notice period," it added.