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Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Nashik airport logs fourfold rise in air cargo movement in April-June
Nashik: The Nashik airport's air cargo operations recorded a fourfold rise in the April-June period of 2025-26 financial year as compared to the same period last fiscal. The facility handled 2,416 metric tonnes of cargo, including various commodities, through 145 flights to international destinations during the three months. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During the same period last fiscal, the airport managed 556 metric tonnes of goods via 34 cargo flights, sources from Halcon said. Halcon, which oversees cargo operations at Nashik airport, is a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (Concor). The airport's air cargo exports included agricultural products, poultry items and industrial goods, marking the highest quarterly export volume since air cargo operations began at the airport, Halcon officials said. "During the last fiscal, the airport handled 4,161 MT of goods through 250 cargo flights. We have set a target of handling around 400 cargo flights at the facility with 7,000 MT of various goods to various international destinations during the current financial year (2025-26). So far, we have met 35% of the target," a Halcon official said. Ashish Nahar, president, Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (NIMA), which is an apex body of industries in Nashik, said it was a positive development for Nashik. "In fact, there is huge potential for the air cargo movement from Nashik airport. NIMA is also making efforts to boost exports from Nashik as much as possible," Nahar said. Transport of goods via passenger flights to Delhi, Bengaluru gets a boost Goods transport via passenger flights from Nashik airport has received a boost due to increased air connectivity. Currently, a private airline operates flights to six destinations — Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Goa and Indore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Around 124 tonnes of various goods were transported to Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad via passenger flights from Nashik airport during the first quarter (April-June) of the current financial year 2025-26. The goods included flowers, vegetables, automobile spare parts and couriers, sources with a private airline said. During the last financial year (2024-25), around 165 tonnes of various goods were sent via passenger flights to these destinations from the airport. The passenger flights also have the capacity to transport around three to six tonnes of various goods. The private airline is operating 232-seater Airbus A321 flights on Nashik-Delhi and Nashik-Bengaluru routes, while it is operating 180-seater Airbus A320 flights on the other four routes. Considering the rise in the transport of goods via passenger flights, the private airline has also set up its office at the Air Cargo complex of Halcon adjacent to Nashik airport for booking of goods.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Nashik airport set passenger footfall record in May this yr
Nashik: The Nashik airport, managed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, recorded its highest monthly air passenger traffic in May this year. The airport handled 37,509 passengers in May, marking the highest monthly footfall since operations commenced in 2014, HAL sources said. Previously, the highest air traffic was 36,082 passengers in April. The increase resulted from enhanced air connectivity with additional cities served by the Nashik airport. Additionally, flight occupancy exceeded 90%, with most flights on the Nashik-Delhi and Nashik-Bengaluru routes reaching full capacity. These factors contributed to the rise in passenger footfall at the Nashik airport, according to sources at the airport authority. Passenger numbers at the Nashik airport steadily increased over the past year due to positive responses from air travellers. In Jan this year, the passenger footfall was 31,737, but it declined marginally to 31,669 in Feb. However, the airport recorded a rise every month from March onwards. In March, the airport handled 34,221 passengers, followed by 36,082 in April and 37,509 in May. Currently, a private airline operates flights from the Nashik airport to six destinations: Delhi, Goa, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Coimbatore via Indore. The airline also plans to start flights from Nashik to Kolkata in the coming months. Higher occupancy prompted the private airline to introduce 232-seater Airbus A321 flights on the Nashik-Delhi and Nashik-Bengaluru routes from March 30. Previously, the airline operated 180-seater Airbus A320 flights on these routes. Deploying larger Airbus aircraft on the Nashik-Delhi and Nashik-Bengaluru routes also increased passenger traffic in March at Nashik Airport, sources said. In the 2024-25 financial year, the Nashik airport is expected to handle 3.4 lakh passengers, compared to 2.4 lakh in the 2023-24 financial year. The total passenger footfall for 2022-23 was 1.07 lakh. Manish Rawal, the chairman of the aviation committee of the Nashik Industries and Manufacturers' Association (Nima), said the airport has significant potential for air service, as evidenced by the increasing passenger footfall. The average passenger footfall has exceeded 1,200. However, due to the rising number of passengers, expanding the Nashik airport is necessary. Ashish Nahar, the president of Nima, said passenger footfall at will surge during the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela, scheduled between 2026 and 2028. "Currently, the airport's capacity is 300 passengers at a time. Considering the anticipated increase in passenger numbers during the Kumbh Mela, expanding the Nashik airport is essential. We are addressing the issue with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has assured the expansion of the Nashik airport before the Simhastha Kumbh Mela commences," he said.
