ECONOMYNEXT – National carrier SriLankan Airlines is in the process of expanding its cargo handling by over 70 percent with a new import terminal, a top official said.
The state-owned SriLankan has five terminal in its cargo village adjoining to the island nation’s main Bandaranaike Internatinal Airport.
“The new terminal with 10,000 square meters can handle an additional 177,000 metric tons of cargo,” Chaminda Perera, head of SriLankan Cargo told reporters during a special familiarisation tour to the cargo village.
“At the moment, we are handling 250,000 metric tons of cargoes in 16,500 square meter area.”
After the new terminal, the existing import terminal will be handling perishable goods and courier for exports, officials said.
The expansion also comes with the government’s ambitious goal to boost exports including services to around USD 30 billion by 2030.
Cargo has been making profits though SriLankan Airlines has been incurring a loss. (Karunayake/August 16/2025)