Trichy exporters face losses as Iran-Israel conflict cancels Gulf flights

Trichy: Vegetable and fruit exporters from Trichy are facing losses as the ongoing military conflict between Iran and Israel has triggered precautionary airspace closures in parts of the Gulf, leading to continued flight cancellations from Trichy International Airport.With UAE-bound services suspended since Feb 28, cancellations to the Middle East entered the fourth consecutive day, leaving dozens of exporters uncertain about shipping consignments to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Trichy Airport handles around 600 metric tonnes of freight a month, averaging 20 MT a day. While a majority of vegetables, fruits and flowers are exported to Singapore, nearly 10 MT of perishables are shipped daily to Gulf destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, largely catering to the Indian diaspora. "Exports to Singapore are continuing, but UAE-bound exports are hit; so are exports to the European market, with Dubai as a transit. There is no other cost-effective alternative for us," G Sathish Kumar, secretary of the Export Import Federation of Trichy (EIFT), said. Sources said around 10 MT of daily exports to Gulf countries have been disrupted due to the suspension of direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah. "As of now, our customers in the Middle East are using their inventories. But the situation will become grim if the airspace restrictions continue for another two days. Our products stagnated," V Anand, a vegetable exporter from KK Nagar, said. While UAE services remain suspended, inbound and outbound flights between Trichy and Muscat resumed on Tuesday. An Air India Express flight departed for Muscat with 81 passengers after a five-hour delay amid the prevailing situation in the region. "Since many passengers use Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad airports as transit points to reach destinations in the Middle East, domestic passenger traffic from Trichy to those destinations was marginally affected. Six UAE services were cancelled at Trichy Airport on Tuesday," airport director S S Raju said. MSID:: 128979640 413 |