MASKARGO URGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIAN DRUGS SECTOR

By Manik Mehta

HYDERABAD (India), Dec 4 (Bernama) -- GMR Hyderabad International Airport
Ltd (GHIAL) officials hope that Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo), the
cargo division of Malaysia Airline System Bhd, would take advantage of the
opportunities available in the lucrative Indian market, particularly in the
pharmaceutical sector.

"Malaysia, which like India is also promoting the biotech industry, could
evolve strategies to derive 'maximum synergy benefits' by using Hyderabad
airport," they told Bernama here Saturday.

On Dec, German cargo carrier Lufthansa-Cargo (LHC) and GHIAL signed a
memorandum of understanding to jointly develop the airport into a major Asian
cargo hub for the shipment of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products.

Hyderabad airport, described as India's 'jewel airport', bears similarities
with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport as far as certain construction
features are concerned, said some Malaysian aviation experts.

GHIAL is a joint-venture company in which the Malaysian Airport Holdings
Bhd has a 11 per cent stake, GMR Group (63 per cent), the Indian government (13
per cent) and the Andhra Pradesh government (13 per cent).

It runs the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport of Hyderabad.

A modern infrastructure will be set up at the airport to meet the complex
requirements of reliable temperature-controlled transport solutions.

Customs procedures will also be speeded up to guarantee faster transport.

LHC, which is the only international cargo carrier operating two weekly
flights to this airport, will provide capacity for the time-sensitive cargo.

It will station its own fleet of cooling containers, called "Opticoolers" at
the airport.

The "Opticoolers", which were unveiled at the signing ceremony, will be used
for the first time outside Germany, according to a carrier spokesman.

Martin Schlingensiepen, vice president (product management) of LHC, told
Bernama India has emerged as the world's largest market for generic medication.

P. Sripathy, chief executive officer of GHIAL, hailed the carrier as a
"global market leader in the transport of temperature-sensitive
pharmaceuticals".

The transport of pharmaceutical products places great demands on airlines as
well as airports.

While outside temperatures at airports may range from -30 to + 40 degree
celsius, the temperature inside the container may only fluctuate minimally so
that the sensitive freight is not damaged.

A dedicated pharmaceutical cargo zone was also inaugurated at the airport on
Thursday.

This is the first-ever such facility in India, according to GHIAL.

The airport has a capacity of 100,000 tons of cargo at present. It currently
handles about 75,000 tons of cargo, 70 per cent of which is export bound.

Roughly 60 per cent of the export cargo comprises pharmaceutical products.
-- BERNAMA