The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru on Friday launched a dedicated, 200,000 sq.ft.express cargo terminal, exclusively for export and import of international couriers. Developed by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) operator of BLR Airport, the built-to-suit facility will house global express courier organisations.
The express cargo market for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sectors has tremendous potential to grow over the next decade. It is on account of larger playing field with multiple service providers, improved transit time, and value-added services and the new facility, set up exclusively for export and import of international couriers, would cater to this demand, BIAL said in a release.
The terminal will have a dedicated space for Customs offices, and direct access to both landside and airside, a BIAL statement said.
The new facility will enable Kempegowda International Airport to process 150,000 metric tonnes (MT) annually, taking the airports overall annual cargo capacity to 720,000 MT, from the existing 570,000 MT, the statement added.
"The Bengaluru airport is well on track towards becoming a cargo hub, offering world-class infrastructure, powered by leading global logistics providers," said Hari Marar, Bangalore International Airport Limited MD & CEO.
"With expresscourier gaining greater significance following the exponential growth of e-commerce, theExpress Cargo Terminal at BLR Airport is a significant step towards supporting and driving this growth," he added.
This is a first-of-its-kind warehousing facility at an Indian airport, which has been designed and built-to-suit, offering operators with streamlined operational workflows the provision for future expansion, it said.
Stating that the mechanised truck docks will enable quicker acceptance and delivery of freight, it said the terminal, with dedicated space for each operator, is expected to improve throughput and caters to the needs of the burgeoning industry.
(With inputs from agencies)
