SriLankan Cargo to double capacity at Colombo Airport

SriLankan Cargo will take a major step forward towards its goal of making Colombo the Cargo Hub of the Indian Ocean when it doubles its cargo handling capacity at Colombo's international airport new Cargo Centre next January.

SriLankan Cargo markets its services under the branding of being the 'Hub in the Ocean.' This strategy has seen it expanding its services and capacity to maximise the potential of Colombo's strategic location astride the air routes linking Europe, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Far East, and promoting its services in these directions.

The second warehouse, which is currently under construction at the Bandaranaike International Airport, will double the Centre's present annual handling capacity of 150,000 metric tonnes, to a total of 300,000 metric tonnes. SriLankan Cargo handles cargo of all airlines that operate through Colombo. It handled 148,000 metric tonnes in 2003. This includes SriLankan Airlines' own flights, about 30 other scheduled carriers, charters, and specialised freighter aircraft.

The construction, which began last July, is part of a Japanese aided project by Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited to expand the airport. The new warehouse is located next to the existing one, and will contain modern features such as cool rooms, a quarantine area, a ULD breakdown station, and a Customs station.

"The commissioning of the new building will enable us to cater to the rapid growth of our own airline, and will also double our capacity to handle cargo of other airlines," said Nalin Rodrigo, Head of Cargo at SriLankan Airlines. "With SriLankan Airlines expanding operations throughout South Asia, we expect a tremendous growth in cargo transshipments through Colombo. In addition, many airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, China Airlines, Lufthansa, and El Al operate freighter services through Colombo, which will support the growth of cargo traffic through Colombo."

The new warehouse would also enable SriLankan Cargo to handle the increased cargo traffic that is expected, following the signing of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) last month, which is aimed at making a free trade block of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives.

SriLankan Cargo recently acquired its second dedicated freighter aircraft, an Antonov AN12, and plans to expand its services throughout the Indian Subcontinent. The freighters currently operate to Karachi, Madras, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Male and Gan Island, and recently began services to Bangkok.

SriLankan's all-Airbus fleet of passenger aircraft allows for standardisation of cargo containers, which streamlines transfers between flights. The airline continues to increase its operations in South Asia, carrying passengers and cargo on Airbus A330, A340 and A320 aircraft, and this month took delivery of its fifth Airbus A320 aircraft. It has plans to acquire another in mid 2004 and is projecting that it will need several more narrow and wide bodied aircraft to cater to increased demand in the Subcontinent.