RGIA poised to emerge as cargo hub in India: GHIAL official

HYDERABAD: World-class cargo facilities at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here has opened up exciting opportunities for large-bodied freighter planes with the first two air charters-Boeing 747-200 freighter and -Boeing 747-400 F-landing at the airport.

"These flights mark the first step in GMR Hyderabad International Airpot Limited's (GHIAL) endeavour to make RGIA a world-class cargo hub in this part of the country," GHIAL Chief Commercial Officer Viswanath Attaluri said in a release.

Hyderabad offers a great advantage for logistics movements of cargo both within the country and connecting South East Asia and Middle East, Europe and US, he added. The two air charters-Boeing 747-200 freighter and - one of the world's biggest cargo plane-Boeing 747-400 F landed at the RGIA here recently to pick up cargo.

Earlier, such cargo freighter services were available at Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. The Air Cargo Complex at RGIA currently has a capacity to handle one lakh tonnes cargo per annum .