AISATS launches integrated on-airport perishable cargo handling centre at Bengaluru Airport
Feb 13, 2017: Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd. (AISATS), launched “AISATS COOLPORT”, India’s first integrated on-airport perishable cargo handling centre, at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB). The 11,000 sq. meter state of the art facility built at a total project cost of INR 48 crores, was inaugurated by RV Deshpande, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka.
AISATS COOLPORT, with a handling capacity of 40,000 tonnes per annum, will cater to an extensive range of perishable commodities such as pharmaceutical products, fruits, vegetables, poultry, sea food and flowers. The facility’s customized cold storage solutions comprises 17 dedicated cold rooms with temperature ranging from -25 to 250C, Refrigerated Queue Lanes with a temperature range of 2 to 80C for unitized shipments and end-to-end cold chain solutions including refrigerated trucking service, indigenously developed cool trolley and thermal blanket, as well as temperature controlled container handling.
“As India aims to become the world’s third largest aviation market by 2020, we believe that the cargo industry will play a crucial role in achieving this objective,” said Mike Chew, CEO, AISATS.
“We at AISATS developed the COOLPORT, with invaluable support from the Government of India’s ASIDE (Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development for Exports & Allied Activities) scheme. The COOLPORT addresses the need for specialised infrastructure amenities catering to cold-chain processes, operations and logistics and we at AISATS partner the Government of Karnataka’s vision of turning the Kempegowda International Airport into a preferred air cargo hub in Southern India,” adds Chew.
“We aim to be the engine of economic growth for the region by connecting Bengaluru to the world and positioning the city as the Gateway to South India not only for passenger traffic but also for cargo. BIAL has a robust plan and strategic intent to grow the cargo business. Our aim is to create an environment that enables our cargo partners to introduce new initiatives and facilities that cater to the burgeoning cargo demand of this region. We firmly believe new logistics that redefine the cargo business will propel us closer to our vision of being the Cargo Hub of South India and the region,” said Mr. Hari Marar, President, Airport Operations, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd.
The trial operations of the AISATS COOLPORT, from October 2016 through January 2017,witnessed a 27 percent growth in the perishable tonnage in comparison to the same period last year. During the tenure of the trial operations, 4,653 tonnes (import and export) of varied temperature sensitive and perishable cargo was effectively handled by the AISATS COOLPORT.
Apart from being a specialised warehousing unit, AISATS COOLPORT is also a one-stop-shop comprising of customs clearances, state-of-the-art Drug Controller lab and Plant Quarantine Inspection & Certification office, to expedite the import and export procedures.
