Hyderabad aims to boost connectivity with cargo charter program launch 

GMR Hyderabad Airport Cargo launched its “Hyderabad Cargo Charter Circle (HC3)” handling program on Oct. 11, Hyderabad International Airport (HYD) operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) announced yesterday. The program is intended to boost cargo charter operations out of Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal in support of GHIAL’s aims to develop HYD into a South Asian cargo hub. 

HC3 is a membership-based program, under which members receive various benefits, such as additional free cargo storage, priority storage allocation, a single point of contact for all aspects related to cargo handling, end-to-end logistics support within the terminal and 24/7 customer support. These benefits increase the reliability and control customers have over their cargo transiting through the airport, according to GHIAL. Ultimately, the program is meant to grow the number of direct regional and international flight connections out of HYD in support of its goal to become a hub for charter airfreight operations. 

“Cargo charters in India as a concept are still in a nascent phase,” said SGK Kishore, GHIAL CEO. “[Cargo charters] contribute a small proportion of the volume handled by the Indian airports currently, but as an emerging market, [they] hold a lot of promise. Realizing this potential, we have launched the HC3 platform, which will act as an industry forum led by Hyderabad Airport to give the value-added advantage to this segment of the industry and help boost trade and logistics.” 

Recently, the airport has experienced growing demand for cargo charters to support shipments including pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, telecommunications equipment and defense and aerospace commodities, GHIAL said. The new program will support this demand.