Restore Lufthansa & Cathay freighter service at Hyd: FTCCI to Centre

Hyderabad: The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) has asked the Central government to intervene and restore the earlier framework of Open Skies, in particular freeing cargo flights from the restrictive passenger BASAs (Bilateral Air Services agreements).

In a letter to the ministry of civil aviation, Anil Agarwal, President, FTCCI said that to maintain competitiveness of the exporters and importers of Telangana, permission for double-dipping freighters and restoration of double-dip operations of Lufthansa and Cathay covering Hyderabad as one of the ports, is needed.

Stressing on international connectivity (direct freighters) at Hyderabad, the letter addressed to Rajiv Bansal, secretary, ministry of Civil Aviation, government of India stated that, Telangana being a landlocked State has high dependency on air cargo for both exports of finished goods and imports of raw materials.

Prior to the pandemic, Hyderabad Airport enjoyed good freighter connectivity to major global hubs with operations by Lufthansa Cargo (to Frankfurt) and Cathay Pacific Cargo (Hong Kong). These freighter services allowed local industries to seamlessly integrate with the global supply chains at competitive rates and rapid connections.