New handler for Virgin Atlantic Cargo in Lagos

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Virgin Atlantic Cargo has awarded a five-year handling contract to Sifax SAHCOL in Lagos to improve its services for customers in Nigeria.

From 10 April, Virgin’s import and export cargo will be handled in Sifax SAHCOL’s 22,000 sqm warehouse at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

It incorporates special features including a cold room for perishables and temperature-sensitive shipments, and dedicated locations for courier and high value cargo.

The building’s 22 truck bays will expedite collections and deliveries, while 24/7 CCTV coverage, access control systems, screening technology and a control room will ensure the highest levels of security.

Daily flights to Nigeria are operated by an Airbus A340-600 with up to 20 tonnes of cargo capacity, and they saw revenue and volume growth in 2018.

Revenue ex UK rose 9% helped by a 135% rise in pharmaceutical volumes and a 21% growth in courier shipments, while the 11% boost in revenue from Lagos was largely attributed to higher perishable traffic as a result of government initiatives to encourage agricultural exports.

Tania Boyes, director – cargo operations at Virgin Atlantic says: “By moving to a larger and more modern facility, we can improve our product and service offerings for the growing number of companies moving goods to and from Nigeria. We also wish to thank our previous handling provider, NAHCO, for their support since we commenced operations on the route.”