SriLankan Airlines Cargo to double capacity with new terminal by end-2025

POSITIONING Colombo as a regional hub for transhipment and e-commerce, SriLankan Airlines is set to double its handling capacity with a new cargo terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by the end of 2025.

- BY DIVYA THOTAWATTE

When it begins operations, the new facility will increase annual handling capacity from 250,000 metric tons to over 500,000 metric tons. “It currently handles 250,000, and another 250,000 we can add,” said SriLankan Airlines Cargo Operations Manager Shehan Fernando.

He explained that the expansion was initiated before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, cargo volumes had been steadily increasing and projections had indicated that existing facilities would not be able to facilitate future demand. To address this issue, the airline had initiated plans for an additional terminal to enhance its capacity.

Despite the global trade slowdown during the pandemic, construction continued because the plans were already underway, reflecting the airline’s long-term vision to strengthen Colombo’s logistics capacity.