The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here processed 6,50,225 kg of Covid-related relief material between April 1 and May 19 this year. Of these, 5.42 lakh kg of material were imports and 1.08 lakh domestic inbound.
While 200 shipments came in April, the first 20 days of May accounted for nearly 800 shipments, accounting for an overall 25,891 pieces of Covid-related cargo, according to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
During this period, the KIA recorded a total of 136 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), 101 international and 35 domestic, carrying Covid-related cargo. This included 21different carriers (seven Indian and 14 international carriers). Wuhan and Singapore were the top importing origins.
Oxygen concentrators, ventilators and Zeolite were the major import commodities, while vaccines and PPE kits were the top domestic inbound cargo. The KIA's cargo terminal operators — Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore and Air India SATS — have jointly demarcated 1,000 square feet within their respective premises for handling and faster clearance of pandemic-related shipments.
Flights carrying vaccines are allocated parking stands in front of the respective terminals to enable quicker processing, BIAL said.
Among the shipments were 7.8 metric tonnes of cargo including 200 oxygen concentrators from China on a specially chartered Indigo flight for the state government.
The airport also processed 150 tonnes of Zeolite, a critical component for generation of oxygen, that came from Rome and destined for the DRDO.