newstodate.aero
Dec 15, 2017 (newstodate): With a grand inauguration party on December 14, Finnair officially opened its COOL Nordic Terminal at Helsinki Airport.
The terminal is still in the final test mode, having performed more than 4,500 tests, with the first handling of Norwegian seafood already on October 10.
Plans are now to cut-over from the existing old terminal to the COOL terminal in the night January 7-8, 2018, but the final decision will still hinge on last-minute evaluations of the process to secure a trouble-free transition.
Driving the need for the new terminal is the increased significance of the carrier's pharmaceutical and perishables business, as well as the fact that with all 19 Airbus A350 aircraft in the fleet of Finnair by 2023, the total cargo capacity will grow by 45 percent, compared to today's volumes.
The 80 mio euro investment in the new cargo terminal is actually the Finnair Group's second-largest investment after investment in the new Airbus A350 aircraft fleet, but justified by the 15 percent contribution from cargo to the airline's total revenues, and the 7.5 percent contribution to the Group revenues.
80 percent of Finnair's cargo volume is transferring at the carrier's hub at Helsinki Airport calling for fast handling of shipments including the time- and temperature sensitive shipments from pharma and seafood customers though the hi-tech COOL terminal manned by 300 staff and supported by integrated IT systems to secure operational efficiency, full real-time performance monitoring, and transparency shared with business partners.
The terminal is still in the final test mode, having performed more than 4,500 tests, with the first handling of Norwegian seafood already on October 10.
Plans are now to cut-over from the existing old terminal to the COOL terminal in the night January 7-8, 2018, but the final decision will still hinge on last-minute evaluations of the process to secure a trouble-free transition.
Driving the need for the new terminal is the increased significance of the carrier's pharmaceutical and perishables business, as well as the fact that with all 19 Airbus A350 aircraft in the fleet of Finnair by 2023, the total cargo capacity will grow by 45 percent, compared to today's volumes.
The 80 mio euro investment in the new cargo terminal is actually the Finnair Group's second-largest investment after investment in the new Airbus A350 aircraft fleet, but justified by the 15 percent contribution from cargo to the airline's total revenues, and the 7.5 percent contribution to the Group revenues.
80 percent of Finnair's cargo volume is transferring at the carrier's hub at Helsinki Airport calling for fast handling of shipments including the time- and temperature sensitive shipments from pharma and seafood customers though the hi-tech COOL terminal manned by 300 staff and supported by integrated IT systems to secure operational efficiency, full real-time performance monitoring, and transparency shared with business partners.