Cargo growth sluggish at Tiruchy despite rise in overseas flights

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 perishables 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, as per a report.