Air cargo movement, especially perishable commodities from Kerala, has been affected following the suspension of flights to the Gulf sector in the wake of Iran-Israel conflict.

Official sources at Cochin International Airport Ltd said the cargo movement from the three airports — Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode — was around 200 tonnes of perishable and non-perishable commodities, including fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The suspension of many international flights has affected movement of cargo especially to GCC nations which procure mainly from Kerala market.

There are no separate cargo flights from the State and each airline carry the cargo in the belly of passenger aircraft. Even though some countries have opened up their skies following the improvement in the situation, the cargo movement has not been resumed totally, the officials said.

95% halted

Jayaraj, head of air cargo operations of Kerala State Industrial Enterprises, said that the cargo transportation from Thiruvananthapuram airport was around 45-50 tonnes on a daily basis mostly to GCC nations and some commodities, mostly perishables, finds markets in the UK and the EU. This has been completely affected due to the shutdown of airports in many Gulf countries, some flights to Qatar and Bahrain have returned bringing the cargo back.

“We have not received any further information from these airports for sending the consignments back. The movement by ship is an option, but it should not be viable given the perishable nature of many commodities including fruits and vegetables”, he said.

TV Afsal, an exporter based in Kozhikode, said the 95 per cent of the cargo operations have been stopped following the directive from clearing agencies in view of the closing down of airports. Some cargo has been shipped on two flights and the remaining movement was disrupted from Monday night as exporters do not want to take the risk, fearing losses.

Voicing concern over the escalating conflict in West Asia, Munshid Ali, Secretary of Kerala Exporters Forum, said the emerging situation poses a serious risk especially for Kerala with its large expatriate community. The State is particularly vulnerable to disruptions in cargo movement, global oil markets, etc that could hit local trade, industries and overall economic environment.

Published on June 24, 2025