2 months ago
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The operator of Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Lagos, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, has invested in a 25-tonne cold storage facility at its terminal to boost air cargo capacity and offer seamless belly-cargo services.
The aviation company disclosed this recently in Lagos, where the Acting Chief Executive Officer of BASL, Remi Jibodu, said the cooling was the first of its kind in the country.
According to Jibodu, the cold storage facilities were designed to store perishable goods, such as frozen meat, dairy products, plants and flowers, and pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, among others.
He projected that the firm planned to raise the cold storage facilities to 100 tonnes capacity in the next 24 months as it grows capacity.
Jibodu said, “One of the things we will continue to do at all times is to ensure that we add to the existing infrastructure so that customers will continue to patronise us and to offer those services and this is the opportunity we have been waiting for.
“So, what you are seeing is just a 25-tonne cold storage. This is just the beginning. What we are trying to do is to ensure that we extend it to 100 tonnes in two years. In the next six months, we may even have to move to another place to ensure that we have about 100 tonnes in a few years.”
He disclosed that BASL daily processed 50-60 tonnes of cargo but was constrained to do more because of under-capacity in the sector, which saw the suspension of Dana Air, an airline noted for a huge belly-cargo operation that further shrunk cargo movement.
He further stated that Air Peace hardly engaged in cargo operations; a situation he said compounded the situation.
“We are still pushing the 50 tonnes we are doing daily despite. That for us is fantastic. I am sure people will be surprised by the volume we are doing daily.
“In any domestic airport in Nigeria, this is the first in Nigeria. Even the one we have at international here is for Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, not an airport operator that owns that. For us, we think it is very strategic looking at our location,” he stated.
He described the country as a consuming nation, importing everything, stating that when you import, you have to have a place to store cold cargo.
“This is the hub of aviation. Apart from the fact that we are using this hub to distribute cargo, the cold aspect of it. I realised some time ago that you have a B747 bringing almost all cold cargo and we will use B737 to distribute to Accra, Libreville and before daybreak. Where do they store it?
“A lot of people have complained of losing money on 80 per cent perishable of what they brought in because there is nowhere to store it because the other airports they are coming from, there is already a delay. They already lost their ice and getting to this place, there is another delay and customers are complaining seriously about it.
“We think it is very important for us and international products and secondly, for Lagos itself as an environment for pre-departure and pre-arrival goods so that we can be able to satisfy all of our customers,” he explained.
