Mangaluru Airport Expands Reach with Overseas Cargo Services

From Local to Global

The Mangaluru International Airport has started offering international cargo services from its integrated terminal. On July 2, the first flight, IX 815, transported 2,522 kgs of fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi.

The official inauguration took place on July 5. It was attended by the Adani Airport Holdings Limited cargo team, the leadership team of Mangaluru International Airport, and representatives from customs, airlines, and the Airport Security Group of CISF.

This milestone was achieved over a year after the airport began domestic cargo operations on May 1, 2023. On May 10, 2024, the Commissioner of Customs designated the airport as a Custodian and a Customs Cargo Service Provider, allowing the commencement of international cargo operations. During this time, the airport worked with regulatory authorities and airline partners to secure its status as a Customs Cargo Service.

The launch of international cargo operations will benefit exporters from coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and the hinterland to export perishable goods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, food, machine parts, textiles, shoes, tropical fish, frozen and dry fish, plastic colouring material, and ship parts (propellers) as belly cargo. IndiGo and Air India Express will provide extensive connectivity, enabling exporters to transport cargo to Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.

The airport has performed well in domestic cargo, handling 3,706.02 tonnes of freight in the first eleven months of its operation from May 1, 2023, during the financial year 2024-25. The total domestic cargo handled included 279.21 tonnes of inbound and 3,426.8 tonnes of outbound cargo. Notably, 95% of the outbound domestic cargo was post-office mail, including bank and UIDAI-related documents such as credit/debit and Aadhaar cards.