BA SAYS TERMINAL MOVE IS GOING SMOOTHLY

BA SAYS TERMINAL MOVE IS GOING SMOOTHLY    British Airways World Cargo said it will speed up the move into its new $375-million Ascentis cargo hub at London’s Heathrow Airport as the transition progresses more smoothly than anticipated.
   BA said it is handling more than half of its cargo throughput at Ascentis. The carrier began processing containers and pallets at the hub earlier this month. Eight of BA’s largest customers — Activair, BAX Global, Concordia, Danzas-AEI, Dunwoody, Expeditors International of Washington, MSAS Global Logistics and Panalpina — are moving freight through Ascentis.
   “Since March 7, 1,253 trucks and 3,074 units have been processed through the new building. Of this total, 88 percent of customers were served within our 90-minute target for total engagement time,” said Keith Dickerson, project director of Ascentis for BA. “Flown-as-planned performance for London originating units has been 100 percent over the last three weeks.”
   BA pays some of the highest cargo handling costs in the industry at Heathrow, industry officials say. The airline hopes to lower costs and improve efficiency at its new 800,000-metric-ton-capacity facility.