The country’s first perishable cargo handling centre located in an airport — AISATS COOLPORT — commenced trial operations on Monday at the Kempegowda International Airport. The centre is operated by Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt. Ltd. (AISATS).
Spread over 11,000 sq m, the centre will have an handling capacity of 40,000 tonnes per annum and deal with perishable commodities such as pharmaceutical products, fruits, vegetables, poultry, seafood, and flowers. It will have 17 dedicated coldrooms with temperatures ranging between -25 degrees C to 25 degrees C.
“It will house a drug controller lab, as well as a plant quarantine inspection and certification office. COOLPORT will also be supplemented by temperature-controlled queue lanes and cool trollies,” a statement from AISATS said. The city has seen a steady increase in the volume of perishable cargo with a compounded annual growth rate of 15 per cent.
“I congratulate AISATS on the trial operations of the new integrated perishable handling centre at KIAB, a first for any airport in the country. South India, with its established presence in the global logistics network, has the potential to create the necessary fillip towards the development of air cargo in India,” said Hari Marar, president, airport operations, BIAL.
The official inauguration of the centre will be by the end of the year, the statement said.
