<p>Chief Operating Officer Hemanth D P said Lufthansa Cargo, which has been operating three flights a week from the Hyderabad International Airport, is set to start a fourth service in a few days.<br /><br />"At this point of time, we are in discussions with five major freighters to start operations from Hyderabad. Their senior-most management has visited us and some of them have complimented that it is one of the best airports in the world," Hemanth told PTI.<br /><br />Currently, there are three full-body freighters operating from Hyderabad. Emirates is operating three body cargo freighters, each with 15 to 20 tonnes capacity, he said.<br /><br />The Hyderabad airport handled 80,777 tonnes of cargo in 2010-11 and 55 per cent of it was international, he added.<br /><br />Speaking about the Free Trade Zone set up in the 250-acre SEZ, Hemanth said they are in the final stages of discussion with some large global logistics and 3PL players and expect to conclude negotiations shortly.<br /><br />The FTZ would help logistics companies to warehouse, distribute, trade and add value to their commodities both in the short and long-term without an impact on import duty.<br /><br />"We have started with 20 acres at this point in time and have the option to expand the FTZ area furthermore, which we will as we move along," he said. <br /><br />Lufthansa Cargo earlier certified GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) as one of its key cargo hubs in South Asia for the transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, making the airport India's first to enjoy such a status.<br /><br />The dedicated pharma zone at the Hyderabad airport, which became operational in January, can provide temperature- controlled handling for more than 30,000 tonnes of pharma products annually.<br /><br />The zone will have officials from both the drug controller's office and the customs department. Lufthansa Cargo will provide the capacity for transport of temperature-sensitive cargo. The company will station its own fleet of cooling containers, called Opti-Coolers, at GHIAL.<br /><br />"While we exported 531 tonnes of pharma products from here during January-February, we did 1,926 tonnes during July-August," the GMR official said.</p>
<p>Chief Operating Officer Hemanth D P said Lufthansa Cargo, which has been operating three flights a week from the Hyderabad International Airport, is set to start a fourth service in a few days.<br /><br />"At this point of time, we are in discussions with five major freighters to start operations from Hyderabad. Their senior-most management has visited us and some of them have complimented that it is one of the best airports in the world," Hemanth told PTI.<br /><br />Currently, there are three full-body freighters operating from Hyderabad. Emirates is operating three body cargo freighters, each with 15 to 20 tonnes capacity, he said.<br /><br />The Hyderabad airport handled 80,777 tonnes of cargo in 2010-11 and 55 per cent of it was international, he added.<br /><br />Speaking about the Free Trade Zone set up in the 250-acre SEZ, Hemanth said they are in the final stages of discussion with some large global logistics and 3PL players and expect to conclude negotiations shortly.<br /><br />The FTZ would help logistics companies to warehouse, distribute, trade and add value to their commodities both in the short and long-term without an impact on import duty.<br /><br />"We have started with 20 acres at this point in time and have the option to expand the FTZ area furthermore, which we will as we move along," he said. <br /><br />Lufthansa Cargo earlier certified GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) as one of its key cargo hubs in South Asia for the transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, making the airport India's first to enjoy such a status.<br /><br />The dedicated pharma zone at the Hyderabad airport, which became operational in January, can provide temperature- controlled handling for more than 30,000 tonnes of pharma products annually.<br /><br />The zone will have officials from both the drug controller's office and the customs department. Lufthansa Cargo will provide the capacity for transport of temperature-sensitive cargo. The company will station its own fleet of cooling containers, called Opti-Coolers, at GHIAL.<br /><br />"While we exported 531 tonnes of pharma products from here during January-February, we did 1,926 tonnes during July-August," the GMR official said.</p>