COIMBATORE : Coimbatore International Airport created history by transporting machinery weighing 15,000 kilogram to Guwahati on Sunday. A giant IL-76 aircraft was brought in from a Gulf country specifically to handle this transport.
The airport’s cargo officials said, “An industry from Coimbatore sent a request for the transport of a big mechanical gear box weighing 15,000 kilograms to Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (a Government of India entity) at Guwhati. Given the weight of the machinery, it needed special handling.
Hence, with the help of an international service provider, an IL-76 was brought in from a Gulf country.” The flight landed in the Coimbatore airport at 12 pm on Sunday. After due approvals were received, the machinery was loaded into the flight, which departed at 7 pm.Officials pointed out that this was the first time cargo was being sent with the IL-76 type aircraft.
Cargo sector grows steadily
Air cargo officials note that in spite of various issues such as lack of international flight services, delay in expanding the runway, etc.,
the airport continued to witness a steady growth. Cargo movement in domestic sector increased from 4,361 tonne in 2017 to 5,275 tonne in 2018; in the international sector, it increased from 1,546 tonne in 2017 to 2,180 tonne this year. This marked a 20.95 per cent and 41 per cent growth, respectively