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Feb 05, 2020 (newstodate): The seafood handling providers at and around Oslo Airport are waiting for Avinor to come up with a revised plan for the airport's future cargo handling infrastructure.
   Already in 2016, Avinor announced plans for construction of a large automated terminal capable of handling up to 250,000 tonnes of seafood shipments, building on cooperation with investors and partners in the seafood industry and providers of seafood air logistics.
   The project was, however, shelved in 2019, and in May 2019 the designed partner to operate the terminal, WFS abrogated the contract.
   Since then, the industry has been left in a vacuum as to the future layout of the seafood handling infrastructure at Oslo Airport, while volumes have exceeded the capacity at several of the existing seafood handling providers Roadfeeders, Spirit Air Cargo Handling, Gardermoen Perishables Center, Menzies and DHL.
   One provider, GPC, is repeatedly criticized by exporters and forwarders for failing to deliver the quality required.
   -Historically, the problem is that the current uncertainly has drawn out for far too long due to Avinor's plans for a gigantic seafood terminal that did not meet the interests among stakeholders in the market, says Torgil Staalberg, GPC Managing Director.  
   -The project was launched with fanfares but on what proved to be wrong assumptions, and this has contributed to drawing out the process.
   -Since Avinor retreated from the original project, the process has been taken over by more professional people, and we have now been promised that Avinor will present a new plan for the future seafood handling infrastructure at Oslo Airport before the end of 2020.
   -The daily operational challenges remain, however, despite every effort to adjust and optimize within the current strained facilities. Out terminal is simply too small to cope with the increasing volumes of seafood exports. We need space to expand, says Mr Staalberg.
   Newstodate has asked Avinor for some information on the process, receiving only this response:  
   -We have no further information on this issue, says Avinor Press Office.