Hyderabad Airport handles first international shipment of essential supplies

With the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) permission of cargo operations using existing passenger category aircraft, Hyderabad airport handled its first international shipment of essential supplies with Qatar Cargo QR 8311. The same aircraft uplifted 28 tonne of essential supplies from Hyderabad and departed to Doha, on the same day, and connected the shipments from thereon to other corners of the globe.
SGK Kishore, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), said, “Extraordinary situations require extraordinary solutions. The DGCA permission has opened a window of opportunity for the aviation community to leverage the fleet of idled passenger aircraft to help meet the desperate need for air cargo capacity to carry essential medicines and other supplies across the globe during this moment of global crisis. Having successfully handled the first such flight to operate into Hyderabad under the new DGCA guidelines, we remain committed to supporting continued operations of our nation’s air cargo lifeline in the days to come.”

Hyderabad International Airport has been categorised as one of the 6 national hubs under Government of India’s ‘Lifeline Udan’ arrangement for operating medical cargo lifelines for the nation in this hour of crisis and GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo and GHIAL are working round the clock in close coordination with the customs, ground handlers, forwarders, CHAs (Customs House Agents), regulators, state Police, cargo trade associations, to keep the critical chain of essential supplies viz. medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, pharma raw material, defense goods, banking documents etc. up and running even through the lockdown.

With around 200 dedicated and highly motivated personnel working in a shift, Hyderabad Air Cargo is ensuring all these essential supplies are properly handled and timely cleared. At present, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo is handling around 10 freighters weekly along with some special cargo charters, which are connecting Hyderabad with all major international destinations in the United States of America, European countries, Middle-east, Africa, Far East, etc. moving emergency supplies.

Among the key scheduled freighters that are operating from Hyderabad International Airport include – Cathay Pacific Cargo, Turkish Cargo, Qatar Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, SpiceXpress Cargo (domestic and international) and Blue Dart Cargo. Some of the measures taken are as below:
• 100 per cent screening by Infra-red Thermal Gun at entries for all staff at cargo premises
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) viz. gown, gloves and cap and masks for cargo handling personnel
• Dedicated doctor to oversee any medical concerns
• Health monitoring of all employees
• Periodic fumigation of cargo terminal
• Frequent cleaning of work stations and equipment having frequent human touch points
• Encouraging social distancing among the personnel