Sri Lankan Cargo opens 24hr customer support centre

Sri Lankan Cargo, part of the Sri Lankan Airlines group, has opened its 24-hour customer support centre in the island nation's capital to help customers get details of their cargo movement through the Colombo hub or advise the cargo office on any other specific need.

With the launch of the customer support centre, customers in India can get any information regarding their cargo, airline officials told Business Standard.

The airline company handles over 150,000 metric tonnes of cargo every year. The cargo arm can handle special cargo, including livestock, perishables and valuables.

Sri Lankan Cargo currently handles the cargo of over 30 customer airlines, in addition to operating its own regional freighter service, the officials said. The regional freighter service, coupled with Sri Lankan Airline's scheduled services, has made Colombo a preferred gateway to the large South Indian market.

The company said a new cargo warehouse is currently under construction and will increase the annual handling capacity to 300,000 metric tonnes. Sri Lankan Cargo handles goods of about 30 airlines that fly via Colombo.

Last year alone, its cargo centre handled over 150,000 metric tonnes.

Explaining the need for the customer support centre, Nalin Rodrigo, head of Cargo at Sri Lankan Airlines, said in a communication that, "it is critical that we enhance the overall service level to stay competitive and offer the value our customers are looking for".

Customers carrying their goods aboard Sri Lankan Cargo or its partner Emirates Cargo at present have the convenience of Skychain, the web-based logistics management tool which provides customers with a 24-hour integrated network of information and business support systems.

Now, with the launch of the support centre, Sri Lankan Cargo officials believe that customers can have the added advantage of tracking the movement of their goods.

Sri Lankan Cargo operates an Airbus fleet of A-320, A-330, A-340 and two dedicated Antonov AN12F.

The firm has expanded its operations along with the airline which covers a network of 48 destinations in 28 countries in Europe , the Indian sub-continent, Middle East, Far East and South East Asia.