The Department of Revenue under the Union Ministry of Finance has issued a notification on Tuesday permitting Madurai airport to handle cargo. Henceforth, the airport could be used for loading of export goods and unloading of imported goods.
Welcoming the notification, Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI) thanked Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as the establishment of cargo facility would propel economic growth and investment in southern districts.
In a joint press communiqué, TNCCI senior president S. Rethinavelu and president N. Jegatheesan said that the cargo facility here would be a boon for traders who, all along, had no option but to import and export goods through airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Calicut, Tiruchi and Chennai.
However, in order to avail full benefit of the notification, it was imperative for the Civil Aviation Ministry to take immediate steps to include Madurai airport in bi-lateral air services agreements with Malaysia, Singapore and United Arab Emirates and pave way for better connectivity to international destinations, they said.
