Overseas freight handled at the airport here has been hit due to the suspension of one of the daily services of the Sri Lankan Airlines from here to Colombo.
Daily shipments to Kuwait which were being dispatched through the airlines morning flight have been affected. Until recently Sri Lankan Airlines used to operate two services daily in the Tiruchi-Colombo sector – one in the morning and the other in the evening. The morning flight used to arrive at around 8.40 a.m. and depart about an hour later. The second service used to reach Tiruchi at around 2.40 p.m. and leave at 3.30 p.m.
The airline recently announced its winter schedule, stating that the morning flight would arrive at Tiruchi at 8.40 a.m. and depart at 4.05 p.m. with no mention about the operation of the second service.
It has put shippers in a quandary, especially those dispatching freight to Kuwait every day on the morning flight to Colombo. Export cargo especially assorted vegetables to Kuwait to the tune about 2.5 tonnes to 3 tonnes used to be dispatched daily through the morning flight to Colombo.
Export cargo to other destinations such as Male and Doha, which used to be brisk, had become less than average. A little over five tonnes of cargo used to be dispatched when the airline operated two services a day. Only 2 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes are being sent now.
