Advanced cargo terminal set in motion at Riga Airport

RIGA - A new state-of-the-art cargo terminal, the outcome of a joint venture with two international aviation companies and the Latvian national carrier, Air Baltic, is operating at Riga International Airport. The terminal, Baltijas Kravu Centrs, is the first at the airport to meet modern aviation requirements.

At this point the first phase of the terminal's construction has been completed and includes a 900-square-meter warehouse and 600 square meters in office space.

BKC Executive Director Olegs Korse told BNS that the terminal's current capacity ensured handling of 5,000 to 7,000 tons of cargo a year and the company was ready to start the second phase of construction if cargo volumes increased.

The total costs of the terminal have exceeded $1.5 million and the terminal currently employs a staff of 14 and handles an average of 200 tons of aviation cargo a month.

The terminal construction began in August 2000 and was completed in January.

The project was launched in September 1999 when Air Baltic, SAS and GlobeGround Berlin, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, established a joint venture, Baltijas Kravu Centrs, which uses GlobeGround symbols and operates as a part of the GlobeGround international network.

GlobeGround Berlin and SAS each hold 45 percent of BKC while AirBaltic holds a 10 percent stake in the company.