FTCCI urges to restore Lufthansa, Cathay cargo services in HYD

The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) has urged Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to restore freighter services of Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific at Hyderabad which were removed post-COVID from the ambit of Open Skies policy and cargo operations were instead brought under the Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs), said reports. The trade and industry body also highlighted how significant international direct freight connectivity was for Hyderabad, particularly with the region accounting for 40% of total bulk drug production and 50% bulk drug exports from the country. “Hyderabad region accounts for over 30% of all vaccines produced globally. Telangana has high dependency on air cargo for exports of finished goods and imports of raw materials. A consequence of the shift to BASAs was the curtailment of two-port landings by foreign carriers flying a multi-stop circuit route within India, dropping off/picking up international cargo from multiple Indian cities before heading back to overseas base,” said FTCCI president Anil Agarwal. “Under the new rules, Cathay Pacific flight previously operating Hong Kong – Delhi – Hyderabad – Hong Kong or the Lufthansa flight operating Frankfurt-Mumbai-Hyderabad-Frankfurt on a single journey is no longer being permitted. These were crucial trade links for local industries in Telangana and these two carriers combined had carried a total of around 15,000 tonnes of cargo in 2019-20, accounting for around 17% of the total international air cargo volumes handled at Hyderabad airport during the period,” he added.