Export-oriented air cargo operations to Dubai are scheduled to begin shortly from Hindustan Aeronautics' airport at Nashik division in Ojhar.
The Nashik division of HAL manufactures Sukhoi warplanes under licence from its Russian collaborator.
“This is a result of a 50:50 joint working group called Halcon, set up by HAL and the Container Corporation of India. The ground-handling will be managed by our company, Clarion Solutions, which is a Transworld Group company. We do not have any stake in the project,” a senior Clarion official told PTI.
The company has already received clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the air cargo operations are scheduled to begin from March, the official said. It runs a cold storage facility as well as two warehouses at the airport. Kingfisher Airlines passenger aircraft used to land at the airport earlier.
“Dubai-based Rus Aviation will be operating one flight a week to Nashik Air Cargo hub. They might even increase the frequency to thrice a week if they see a favourable response. They are looking to airlift and export pharma, perishables, engineering goods and auto parts from the NH 3 region.”
“People can come, sort and export perishables. We would like to reduce air cargo costs for our customers, since HAL Nashik has provided all the facilities required. It is possible to land huge aircraft like the AN-124s and even conduct operations at night,” he said.
Pharma companies based in Indore and auto parts companies based in Pune are expected to use the facility, besides Nashik’s flower, fruit and vegetables cultivators, he said.
The company aims to manage and operate warehouses, palletisation facilities, perishable cargo centre, cold storages, additional packing and sorting house, etc., on a long-term basis, the official said.