International cargo movement to and from Calcutta airport has increased by around 25 per cent in the past year, prompting foreign airlines to add more freighters on certain routes.

“There has been a 25 per cent growth in international cargo movement to and from Calcutta airport and a 15 per cent increase in outward transit. Automobile parts accounted for the bulk of the growth in the movement of cargo from the city to other countries,” a senior official of the Airports Authority of India said.

Singapore Airlines has already added another freighter to the Calcutta-Amsterdam route and a weekly cargo service to Brussels was inaugurated this week.

“Movement of auto parts from the factories in Jamshedpur to Japan and Korea has driven our growth,” said Amin Khan, the manager of Singapore Airlines’ cargo division in eastern India.

An official of TKM, the logistics handling unit of Tata factories, said more than 100 tonnes of raw materials, mainly steel sheets, had been sent to Japan and Korea by air and ship in the past three months . “These raw materials are moulded at the factories there and the finished products are sent back.”

He declined comment on whether the Singur stand-off would affect cargo movement.

“Export of steel and automobile parts has increased because of the Singur small car factory. Software components and high-technology automobile parts have to be sent by air,” said Rakesh Shah, the chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council.

The increase in the number of airlines operating from Calcutta, too, has played a role in the growth of the business.

“Automobile components from Brazil for the Tata Motors’ factory in Lucknow is now routed through Calcutta airport on a regular basis. It is convenient to handle the cargo at Calcutta, as compared to Delhi, because it is faster here,” said Anup Choudhury, the regional manager (east) of Wilson Sandhu Logistics.