Determined to boost air cargo capacity and other belly cargo services, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), the operator of Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2), has invested in a 25-tonne cold storage facility at the private terminal.
The cold storage facilities, which were unveiled recently, are designed to store perishable goods such as frozen meat, dairy products, plants and flowers, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, among others.
The facilities, which also offer convenience for customers according to Bi-Courtney, is not only affordable but of value composition to clients, hence, the more volume they get the more cut in price reduction for prospective users of the cold store.
The firm hinted that plans are underway to raise the cold storage facilities to 100 tonnes capacity in the next 24 months as it grows in capacity.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of BASL, Remi Jibodu, said, “For us, 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 service and this is the opportunity we have been waiting for.
“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.”
Jibodu disclosed that BASL undertakes 50 to 60 tonnes of cargo daily, he, however, said the constraints to do more was because of undercapacity in the sector which he attributed to the suspension of Dana Air, an airline noted for huge belly-cargo operation and the recent grounding of Arik Air that further shrunk cargo movement.
“We are still pushing the 50 tonnes we are doing daily despite. That for us is fantastic. I am sure people will be surprised of 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 the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) and not an airport operator that owns that. For us, we think it is very strategic looking at our location.
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“We say we are a consuming nation importing everything but the truth about it is 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, there is the cold aspect of it. I realised some time ago, that you have a B747 bringing almost all cold cargoes 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 percent 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 lose their ice and getting to this place, there is another delay and customers are complaining seriously about it. The number one priority and 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 satisfy all of our customers.”
