Sri Lankan Cargo Gets New Cargo Exports Terminal at BIA

14th October 2009, www.dailymirror.lk

SriLankan Cargo has taken over the long-awaited new cargo terminal building at BIA, and is set to launch the Cargo Centre’s Export Operations through this terminal in January 2010, which is expected to double the current handling capacity.

The keys to the building were officially handed over by Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited, and the facility is now undergoing certain internal modifications in preparation for the launch.

Mohamed Fazeel, Head of Worldwide Sales, said: “Cargo is a key area of the airline’s business and annually contributes approximately 14% to the group’s revenue. The new building will place the airline in an ideal position to capitalise on the expected increased cargo traffic as the country begins an economic revival and the world comes out of its economic crisis.”

SriLankan is the main handling agent for all airlines that operate to BIA, and is looking forward to a steady growth in its operations with the Dawn of Peace in the country.

Janaka Munasinghe, Manager Cargo Operations, said: “This is a giant leap forward for SriLankan Cargo, and indeed for SriLankan Airlines. The new building will greatly increase our warehouse and handling capacity to approximately 300,000 metric tonnes of cargo per annum. The staff of SriLankan Cargo has been eagerly awaiting this new venture.”

The new building, of 13,300 square metres on two floors, will include facilities for Perishables, Courier Cargo, P.O. Mail, Customer Facilitation Centre, Cool Rooms and Freezer Rooms, Cargo Acceptance Points, Customs Safe Vaults (Valuables), Animal Holding Rooms, Animal and Plant Quarantine Offices, etc. The new facility will further enhance all-round efficiency and handling speed as it will include Palette Build-up Stations and Barcode Scanners to further enhance capacity, and CCTV to increase security throughout the premises. The existing cargo terminal building will be dedicated for Imports.

SriLankan Cargo has positioned Colombo as the “Hub in the Ocean” strategically placed midway in the East-West trade route connecting Europe and the Middle East to South East Asia and the Far East. SriLankan also provides rapid connections through Colombo for cargo into and out of the Subcontinent, serving India’s booming economy.

The Cargo Centre operates at a high level of efficiency, which is constantly monitored by a cross-functional committee. Earlier this year SriLankan Cargo introduced a competition among the centre’s four cargo handling teams, which resulted in an even greater focus on efficiency.

In July SriLankan Cargo commissioned the new SkyChain Cargo Handling System, which provides advanced features for customer convenience and operational efficiency which enables them to follow the progress of their freight by accessing flight schedules well in advance, checking space availability, making booking online in real time, communicating instantly with key personnel, tracking and tracing shipments, passing airway bill details and permitting service providers to update shipment status online.

SriLankan Cargo currently uses cargo hold space on both the airline’s passenger aircraft fleet, and also operates a dedicated charter freighter aircraft for regional distribution focusing mainly on the Maldives and South India.