Capable of handling 80,000 tonnes of cargo, the US$13bn terminal will boast hi-tech cargo handling, storing and tracking equipment, which will speed up cargo clearance considerably. It will also be the first of its kind in Africa that uses RFID technology to optimise cargo identification.
Swissport Tanzania's Chief Executive Officer, Gaudence Temu, has said the use of RFID will simplify the tracking process and reduce the time this takes from a previous 30 minutes to just ten. “This is the first facility in Africa that uses state-of-art gadgets… we have invested for the future and almost doubled the capacity,” Gaudence’s explained. He went on to enthuse about the installation of special racks that automatically sort small parcels weighing less than 50 kilogrammes: “The entire concept is to simplify cargo handling as our business is customer oriented,” Gaudence explained, “in the future it’s much easier to turn the facility to be handled by robots.”
Within the terminal, special areas have been designed for handling animals, dangerous goods and pharmaceuticals, with two cold storage facilities capable maintaining temperatures between -20 and 8 degrees Celsius.
According to a spokesperson for Swissport, the facility can handle 30 tonnes of cargo at once; however, currently, the largest airline consignment to land at the airport is only 15 tonnes.
In addition to these specialised facilities, the multipurpose building will house a bank, business facilities and TRA offices, as well as the Swissport head office, training centre and a gym. Other stakeholders will also call the building home; consequently clearing and forwarding agent offices will be located here, along with airline cargo offices.
