VISION Time torethink ground handling · AIRLINE PROCUREMENT ONLINE AUCTIONS British Airways...

AIRL INE PROCUREMENT

ONLINE AUCTIONSBritish Airways recently invited sup-pliers to bid for its ground handlingbusiness at several stations in Franceusing an online auction – a procure-ment tool the airline uses to rein incosts and add value to operations.

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MAINTENANCE MAGIC

S W I S S P O R T P E O P L E

THE OIL IN OUR MACHINEFrom Kenya to the Dominican Republic,Swissport’s outstanding employeesaround the world use their specialistskills to make a difference for customersevery single day. 12–13

TROUBLE-FREE GSEDespite the turbulence that has besetthe industry, Swissport continues toposition itself for a bright future thanksto careful planning in areas such asground support equipment mainten-ance. 9

Providing the same high quality atlower and lower prices is a toughtask to master. It is an issue onwhich airlines and ground hand-lers tend to have differing views,too. So, perhaps it is time to ask afew basic questions about majorchanges that might be needed.

THE CURRENT CR I S I S situ-ation is only adding – and adding sub-stantially – to the pressure beingplaced on ground handlers from allquarters.

On the one side are the airlines whoare now willing to embark on elec-tronic auctions to negotiate their hand-ling fees as low as they can go; on theother are the ground handlers whoare striving to secure the critical massthey need to survive, while also seek-ing their own salvation through prod-uctivity increases and acquisitions (orboth).

It is a dangerous spiral and one thatmay end up inflicting severe damageto all concerned. When services are

degraded to little more than com-modities and financial results becomethe be-all and end-all of the business,we are entitled to wonder and worryjust where our industry is heading.This is especially so in a service indus-try where success depends first andforemost on the extra efforts of front-line staff.

So, instead of blaming one anotherand permanently locking horns overthe cost /benefit equation, perhapsthe parties involved should ask them-selves some new questions: what ser-vices do we expect to obtain for a cer-tain price? And what services are weable to offer for the price concerned?

It is a crucial consideration: with finan-cial resources clearly limited, it is evenmore vital to offer and obtain theright service package.

That is why it can no longer beenough to simply demand the lowestprice; asking for the best possiblepackage for a particular amount couldbe a far more viable approach. After

all, a youngster in a shop with a dollarin his hand must also decide how tospend his valuable but limited funds! In fact, some airlines are alreadygoing a step further and asking them-selves an even more basic question: isit really worth doing so much our-selves? Would it not make more senseto entrust certain services to a spe-cialist provider? The outsourcing issueis one that is sure to concern us in-creasingly over the coming months.

Swissport welcomes all these newthoughts and trends; and we will bedoing our utmost to provide innova-tive solutions in response. After all, apartnership approach to optimisingour operations offers us all far betterprospects than the current cost/bene-fit spiral and expectations that havebecome increasingly difficult to meet.

So, let us use the present difficulties asan opportunity to ask new questions.And let’s work together to find thebest answers – for everyone concerned.

Stephan Beerli

S C S G E R M A N Y

NETWORK KNOW-HOWWhen Swissport acquired Cargo Ser-vice Center last year it gained a com-pany with an outstanding network ofstations around the world – the powerof which is nowhere better illustratedthan in Germany. 2–3

International customer journal

Swissport International Ltd., Issue 11, April 2003

VISION ■ Changing the ground handling model

Time to rethinkground handling

2 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ April 2003

S W I S S P O R T C A R G O S E R V I C E S

Paul Arnold. Some 14 months on,White leads a young,dynamic team ofstation managers with its sights setfirmly on the next stage in the com-pany’s development.

Today, SCS operates a powerfulnetwork that allows White to cross-sell services the length and breadth ofthe country. Currently, SCS providesterminal warehouse operations atnine airports: Berlin Tegel, Dresden,Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg,Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg andStuttgart.

It also partners with airport companiesat a further six, smaller locations:Bremen,Cologne,Dortmund,Leipzig,Munster/Osnabruck and Hahn.

Carriers such as Austrian Airlinesand KLM have already taken full

COUNTRY PORTRAIT ■ SCS Germany

Network know-how

When Swissport Internationalacquired Cargo Service Center inOctober 2002, it gained a com-pany with an outstanding net-work of stations around the world– the power of which is nowherebetter illustrated than in Germany.

IT HAS BEEN a roller coaster fewyears for Heath White, GeneralManager at Swissport Cargo Services(SCS) Germany, formerly CargoService Center. Since arriving in 1995, White has worked under fourgeneral managers as the handlerdeveloped from small beginnings intoone with the strongest network of anyoperator in Germany.

And now it is White’s turn in the hotseat. In January 2002, he took over as General Manager from previousincumbent and fellow Englishman,

advantage and turned to SCS at up to15 locations. In addition, most cus-tomers have multi-station contracts,with all the associated benefits of sim-plified administration, a standard baseof services and one point of contact.

SCS handles close to 130,000 tonnes ofcargo in Germany with Frankfurt, thecompany’s showcase station, account-ing for roughly 40% of all revenue.

“Every station contributes to thenetwork’s overall strength,but Frank-furt is the absolute centre of ouractivity,” explains White.

Currently, SCS handles close to50,000 tonnes per year at Frankfurt,of which 15% is transit cargo.

“Our customer base comprises 10 keyflown and trucked cargo carriers for

whom we provide full document andphysical handling services as well asdistribution products throughoutEurope for import and export cargo,”explains Toralf Sonntag, Station Manager, Frankfurt.

In just four years, SCS has nearlytrebled the amount of cargo handledat Frankfurt. However, from 1 April,the company will increase total vol-umes by a further 50% when itbegins handling Swiss WorldCargo.

“To handle Swiss,we will increase ourwarehouse space from 6,000 squaremetres to 8,300 square metres andadd 30 employees,” explains a delight-ed Sonntag. “Swiss fits very well in toour operation as we have a lot ofexperience with such a hub prod-uct.”

Network integrationSCS has always adopted a flexiblemanagement structure with stationmanagers working to a general ser-vice framework for basic contracting,but free to suit the product to thelocal market.

This approach will continue as inte-gration with new parent Swissportenters its final stages – a processmade even more challenging bySwissport’s additional acquisition ofthe German ground handling busi-ness of Menzies (see Swissreporter,Issue 9) last year.

This move added operations at 10German airports – including three thatwere new to Swissport – as well as twospecific cargo operations, in Hanoverand Hamburg. For SCS, the incorpora-tion does not add any new locations,but it does bring several important air-line customers.

White’s task is to bring the oldMenzies stations on board and inte-grate the additional customers.

TORALF SONNTAG – S TAT ION MANAGER , FRANKFURT

“We offer everything from planningcomplex distribution products for ourlargest customer, KLM, to simple ac-ceptance products. Most importantly,we give our customers the flexibility,speed and care they require; quality isnot just what we talk about, it is what weactually give. Unquestionably, therehave been difficulties in arriving at the

position we are in today, but we were strong enough to obtain operationalstability and a solid customer base. Now we can continue investing in ourposition and good name.”

KAY SCHWARZ – S TAT ION MANAGER , MUN ICH

“The Munich station has grown to be-come one of SCS’s top five stations inGermany. This has proved challenging,but we have won our fight to obtain all necessary licences. Today, we havedirect ramp access and offer full physical and document handling fromour 1,500-square-metre facility. In thespring, Lufthansa will open its new

terminal, which will help Munich develop further as the airline’s second hub in Germany – a development that makes it even more crucial to keep in close contact with potential customers.”

The Swissport customer journal ■ April 2003 – Swissreporter 3

S W I S S P O R T C A R G O S E R V I C E S

both Cathay Pacific and Korean Air-lines have agreed to sample the SCSapproach at seven stations acrossGermany.

One important reason for their com-ing to SCS, says White, is that his teamcan deliver all the required IATAcomputer-messaging through an in-house IT system, Cascade.

“More and more carriers require real-time information on the status of theirshipments,” explains White. “We arenot only highly effective in our ware-housing,but also in the transmission ofinformation via SITA or the internet.”

Meanwhile, in other initiatives, SCShas already developed a series of in-house performance measurementtools and is now implementing thequality certification AHS 1000.

“These efforts will be used to reallybind us to customers and resolve anyweaknesses in the handling chain,”explains White. “Above all, they helpus to change.”

Working with KLM has alreadyallowed SCS to become experts in hub handling at Frankfurt andHanover, while contracts with Aus-trian Airlines and Qatar Airwayshave enabled SCS to develop distribu-tion products throughout Germanyand Europe.

With an outstanding team in place,the SCS boss is clearly looking for-ward to the year ahead.

“The most important thing I learnt in 2002 was how strongly bonded our Germany team is,”explains White.“We all stuck together during goodtimes and bad, with everyone helpingeach other as a matter of course.

“It was fascinating and so positive. Idon’t know of any other companythat works so well together.”

Richard Rowe

At Frankfurt, where the business ispredominantly flown cargo, much ismade of the need for direct rampaccess to attract customers. Havingbegun operations off-airport, SCSmoved three times before gaining theramp access required to handle flownproducts.

“By taking Swiss we know that ourcurrent building is where we will

spend at least our middle-term futureat Frankfurt,” notes White.

Although the current warehouse is ina constant process of change, Whitepoints out that SCS has kept to itsoriginal handling style, with the focuson operating a quick, efficient ware-house building.

“We have not restricted ourselveswith high-flown technical systemswhich would compromise our edge.Throughout our network, we work in the same way with a strong buthighly flexible product at our core.”

In Frankfurt, as elsewhere in the network, White is keen to attract additional key accounts. Already,

Meanwhile, full integration of theformer Menzies operations into Swiss-port Cargo Services DeutschlandGmbH should be finished by 1 April.It is part of a wider reshuffle that willresult in the amalgamation of allSwissport businesses in Germany andthe neat packaging of passenger,operations, ramp, cargo and otherrelated services into separate, limitedcompanies.

FlexibilityWhite is now examining the op-portunity to sell ramp, passenger and cargo operations as a packagethroughout Germany and elsewherein Europe.

Such creative selling will add to SCS’sreputation for flexibility, an import-ant attribute that has helped the com-pany secure a foothold in achallenging market.

The situation is particularly interestingat larger airports such as Frankfurtand Munich where airport operatorsnot only function as SCS’s mainlicencing contacts, but also the com-pany’s chief competitors.

O U R M A N I N G E R M A N Y

Having graduated from the UK’sBirmingham University with adegree in German and History,Heath White moved to Germanyin 1992 and pursued a two-yearAusbildung, or apprenticeship, ineconomics.

He subsequently landed a positionperforming documentation workat SCS’s Berlin operation, but wassoon representing the company ona variety of domestic and overseasprojects.

When SCS changed from regionalto country management in 1997,Heath was made Operations Ma-nager, based in Berlin. In 2001, hewas appointed acting General Ma-nager and then given the positionfull time.

Today, at just 33, Heath manages260 people and oversees one ofSCS’s most interesting and chal-lenging operations.

JOHN BA IZE – S TAT ION MANAGER , S TUT TGART

“SCS Stuttgart began life with a smalloperation that was limited by the air-port’s monopoly on airfreight handlingand space. However, with the imple-mentation of EU handling liberalisa-tion,we pursued all actions necessary toobtain our service licence and the spaceissue was finally resolved in June 2001when we moved into a larger 1,000-

square-metre warehouse at the newly constructed Air Cargo Center. Today,after a difficult period for the whole industry, tonnage is building back to previous levels.”

C O N TA C T

Heath WhiteGeneral Manager, SCS GermanyGebäude 558 BCargo City Süd Flughafen Frankfurt60549 FrankfurtGermanyPhone:+49 (0) 69 21 97 97 0Fax: +49 (0) 69 21 97 97 [email protected]

“Throughout our network, wework with a strong but highly flexible

product at our core.”Heath White

G L O B A L G R O U N D H A N D L E R O F T H E Y E A R

Sheedy points to Swissport’s vast ex-perience in the industry and its con-tinued intention to invest in anddevelop its international operation askey reasons for this latest award.

“The awards committee was convincedof Swissport being the correct choicefor this prestigious award,” he adds.

Not surprisingly, Stephan Beerli,EVP, Swissport International, is de-lighted with the news. “Last year was

not an easy one for Swissport, so Iconsider it a particular achievementto win once again,” he comments.

“You could say that the first timewas lucky,while the second was a kindof confirmation,”adds Beerli. “But towin the award for a third time in a rowproves that we definitely hold topspot in the industry.”

It was a year during which Swissporthas achieved success through innova-tion. The handler has worked hard todevelop flexible ground handlingsolutions for an airline industry thatnow more than ever demands higherquality services at lower cost fromtheir ground handling partners. And

as the ground handling industry con-tinues its turbulent ride, Swissportremains steadfast in its commitmentto groundbreaking customer service.

“We should feel immense pride, butalso be realistic,” warns Beerli. “Wenow have even more of an obligationto meet our customers’ requirementsat all our stations, every day and onevery single flight.”

Now with the integration of CSC andthe formation of Swissport Cargo Ser-vices almost complete, Swissport isbetter placed than ever to provide afull menu of ground solutions for air-line customers. Carriers can benefitfrom a broader range of servicesacross an even wider global network.

Beerli warmly congratulates Swiss-port’s more than 18,000 staff aroundthe world, but also throws down an

additional challenge. “Winning anaward is one thing, but to continuejustifying it is entirely another,” hesays.

“If we fulfil our pledge to con-tinue meeting our customers’expectations in the bestpossible way, then wereally will deservethe crown againand again.”

RichardRowe

After a challenging12 months, Swiss-port is delighted toannounce its suc-

cess in winning theInstitute of Transport

Management’s GlobalGround Handler of the

Year Award 2003 – for the thirdtime in a row.

BY THE T IME HOLLYWOODannounced this year’s Oscar winners,Swissport had already picked up asimilarly prestigious award in its ownhighly specialised field.

Starting the New Year as it left off,Swissport has won the Institute ofTransport Management’s (ITM) pres-tigious Global Ground Handler ofthe Year Award for 2003. This followssimilar success in 2001 and 2002.

Piloted in 1995, theITM’s award pro-gramme recog-nises important

advances withinthe global aviation

sector over theprevious 12

months.

Once again, Swiss-port scooped the

number one spot onlyafter an extensive re-

search and selection pro-

cess among the ITM’s many membersin the aviation sector.

Swissport faced not only strong com-petition from its ground handlingcompetitors, but also a thoroughexamination by senior ITM man-agers.

In particular, the judges focussed onfour key areas: customer service,mar-keting, project management andinvestment.

According to Patrick Sheedy, Chair-man of the ITM’s Aviation Commit-tee, Swissport scored highly in each

area, although special mention wasalso made of the outstanding cus-tomer service provided by staffaround the world,as well as the excel-lent reputation of Swissport’s man-agement teams.

“We appreciate the contribution thatour aviation manager members havemade to the awards programme andendorse their selection of Swissportfor this prestigious accolade,” saysSheedy. “It is a true reflection of thehigh esteem the company enjoyswithin the industry.”

“To win the award for a thirdtime in a row proves that we definitely

hold top spot in the industry.”

AVIATION ACCOLADE ■ Three in a row

Swissport scoopsindustry

Oscar


challenges of a once again growingindustry. And we are doing so dailythrough a variety of activities.

Those activities include assimilatingthe recently acquired cargo companyCSC into the Swissport service port-folio, launching our franchising con-cept, expanding our network throughour collaboration with Cambata in India, responding to airlines’ out-sourcing enquiries, striving to createan even better and more professionalsales organisation and much more.

It is the kind of attitude and approachthat we all need to adopt if we are tomaster the challenges of tomorrow

and lay a sound foundation for ourfuture success. That same approachmay also be the reason Swissport hasjust been named best global groundhandler for the third year in succes-sion.

Needless to say, we will carry onmaking every imaginable effort tosecure our – and your – success. So,thank you for the confidence youhave placed in us. We look forward to continuing to repay your trust inthe months and years ahead.

Joseph In AlbonPresident & CEOSwissport International Ltd.


F R O M T H E T O P

I N N O VAT I O N

AS I WRITE these lines, the wholeworld is worried about what ishappening in the Middle East and its impact on the global economy.The airline industry, again, seems to be particularly exposed in this

context. Carriers are taking actionalready, reducing their capacities to equip themselves to cope with aworst-case scenario.

With all the current uncertainties, it is all too easy to adopt a policy of defeatism and pessimistic passivity.We think, however, that critical situa-tions like the one confronting ourindustry today should be consideredas opportunities to secure our futuresuccess.

Despite worries about the war and all the bad news surrounding theworld of air transport, Swissport ispreparing itself for the upcoming

The franchising system is simpleenough, but is one that should helpboth parties reach their respectivebusiness goals. Smaller ground hand-lers will derive the full benefit of thebrand and product profile, advertis-ing, training resources, expertise, cen-tral support and management systemof a global leader in the ground hand-ling sector.

At the same time, however, they willcontinue to bear responsibility fortheir own operations and providesuch services with that valuable localthrust.

Swissport, on the other hand, willbenefit from collaborating with pro-fessional local partners, expanding itsown network while avoiding the kindof risky investment that is often

required for a brand new “start-up”operation.

It’s a win-win situation. And that’swhy Swissport will approach a num-ber of competent, smaller groundhandlers over the next few months to discuss this new franchising-basedpartnership concept in more detail.

All in all, we believe the new model is an excellent response to the chal-lenges ahead, and one that skilfullycombines two key ingredients in anysuccessful business: local responsi-bility and strong global support.

If you would like further details aboutSwissport’s new partnership concept,mail us at [email protected]

Stephan Beerli

Franchising has become more andmore of a topic for the groundhandling sector and especially for smaller, local providers keen tosecure a stronger regional, or even global, market presence.Swissport has devised a mould-breaking new partnership modelfor this promising field.

THE GROUND HANDLINGsector has a variety of major changesand challenges ahead. Liberalisa-tion, deregulation and consolidationare daily topics in many parts of the world. Airlines are undermassive pressure to minimise theircosts. In future, they are sure to wantto rely even more heavily on biggerpartners that can offer global solu-tions for their ground handlingneeds.

So how can a small, local groundhandler fit into this scheme? Or per-haps they can’t? It could be thatextensive local knowledge and pro-fessional niche management is nolonger enough to remain attractiveand competitive in today’s groundhandling market. Maybe their verysurvival in the medium term is underthreat?

Swissport is well aware of the changesthe industry is going through. But ouraim is to turn such changes to positiveeffect by promoting collaboration in ashared new direction. That’s why thegroup has developed a new franchis-ing concept – an innovative approachthat could prove excellent news forsome smaller ground handlers. Itcould even help secure their long-term corporate futures.

FRANCHISING ■ Little and large

Local strength, global support

CEO COMMENT ■ Preparation pays dividends

Rising to the challenge

✈

A I R L I N E P R O C U R E M E N T

British Airways recently invitedsuppliers to bid for its groundhandling business at several sta-tions in France using an online auc-tion – a valuable procurement toolused to rein in costs and add valueto operations.

S I N C E first introducing its eAuc-tion procurement tool in 2001, BritishAirways (BA) has used the concept tobuy a variety of goods and servicesincluding IT equipment, training mod-ules and third-party fuelling contracts.

The procurement solution – designedto identify the best value for moneysupplier – plays an important role aspart of a wider strategic sourcingpolicy. BA reports savings of almost£5 million since eAuctions were firstintroduced.

In February, BA extended the pro-gramme into ground handling for the

executive charged withidentifying opportuni-ties and working with

buyers through the prepara-tion stages of each eAuction.

Understandably, ground service pro-viders felt a little apprehensive takingpart in an eAuction for the first time,reports BA. Such apprehension wasbased partly on the belief that this wasjust a way of being beaten down onprice and partly the unfamiliar tech-nology and the perceived impersonalnature of the process.

To counter this, as with all eAuctions,BA conducted a mock auction aheadof the real thing to help familiarisesuppliers with the process and tech-nology.

Harvey is quick to point out thateAuctions are just one of many sourc-ing tools available to BA and areonly used when market conditions areright.

first time when several pre-selectedground service providers, Swissportincluded, entered bids online to winthe carrier’s business originally atthree stations in France: Lyon, Tou-

louse and Bordeaux. However, fol-lowing initial responses from pro-spective suppliers, the airline decidedto proceed with an eAuction for ser-vices at just Lyon and Toulouse.

Ambitious“Until now, BA had not performedanything as ambitious as an eAuctionfor ground handling,” explains JoHarvey, Station Operations SourcingExecutive. “Ground handling is anotoriously complex business, so itwas a real challenge.”

Operating as part of a central sourc-ing team, Harvey has a broad pro-curement remit that covers most on-airport goods and services. For thisparticular eAuction, Harvey workedclosely with Darren Mayes, the BA

BRITISH AIRWAYS ■ Online auctions

Handling under the hammer

“If we can help suppliersunderstand what we are

asking for upfront then thatmakes life a lot easier

further down the line.”Darren Mayes

In the case of ground handling, threecriteria must be met before an eAuc-tion is even considered: the markethas to offer sufficient ground hand-ling competition; BA has to be able todevelop a clear specification for hand-lers; and the airline must be able toestablish a pricing model for suppliersto bid against.

If anything, says Mayes, it is a processthat enhances rather than diminishesa supplier relationship.This is becauseof the reliance on transparency, thor-ough preparation and a rigorous fol-low-up procedure.

Take the recent eAuction in France,for example, which saw intensiveadvance preparation. Harvey workedlocally with station manager, ClaudeHervault, to examine the market andpinpoint BA’s specific needs.

During the review, Harvey pastedspecific station requirements on toBA’s generic ground handling agree-ment to create a clear RFP for poten-tial suppliers.

“If we can help suppliers understandwhat we are asking for upfront thenthat makes life a lot easier furtherdown the line,” explains Mayes.

As with all eAuctions, interested sup-pliers were contacted and taken

BA’s Darren Mayes and Jo Harvey.


✈

✈through the process step by step. Thepreparation included the issue ofbuild-up sheets that outlined BA’sspecifications for each station andenabled suppliers to consider theirpricing strategy.

“We stressed that handlers shouldthink about their opening price and awalk away price,” explains Mayes.

“The auction is about how close theyget to that walk away – we are notlooking for a ‘win at all costs’ biddingmentality.”

Suppliers were asked to bid a perannum price for a total ground hand-ling package over a fixed three-yearperiod for the French stations. Thosewith an eye on offering services atmultiple stations were also encour-aged to provide details of any incen-tives available.

GroundworkWith all the groundwork performedbeforehand, the eAuction itself onlytook around 30 minutes. Harveyadmits it must have been a nerve-wracking experience for suppliers;during the online auction, each hand-ler sees just its own bid on screen anda rank based on the lowest price.

But with suppliers challenged tomove closer to their walk away posi-

tions, BA sees the process as a mucheasier and far quicker means of arriv-ing at a market price rather thanthrough more traditional methods ofnegotiation.

Once the eAuction was finished, BAexamined each bid together withreturned build-up sheets to identifyhow each handler arrived at a price.

This was followed by a thoroughreassessment of BA’s most importantnon-financial criteria – such as servicequality,existing working relationshipsand style of local management – inadvance of follow-up meetings withthe shortlisted handlers.

The major benefit for Harvey at thispoint is that she already knows thefinancial position of each supplier andso can concentrate on the softer,qual-ity issues during the follow-up stage.

“For me, the really positive thing toemerge from the eAuction is thatwhen I go to those shortlisted suppliers

A I R L I N E P R O C U R E M E N T


for the follow-up, I don’t have to worryabout price issues,” she confirms.

“I must stress, however, that it isabout the total cost of ownership and

not just the cheapest price – there islittle point in buying the cheapestoption if the quality is not there.”

With discussions ongoing for theFrench stations, BA says it is too earlyto tell what cost savings have beenachieved, but is confident that theeAuction process has identified “themarket price”.

This is a procurement approach that,by definition, favours full service sup-pliers.“One of our strategic goals is toreduce our number of suppliers, so weare not looking for multiple suppliersfor different ground handling ser-vices,” confirms Harvey.

It is also a process that focuses themind of all parties; handlers have todo more homework up front, while

“The really positive thing to emerge isthat when I go to those shortlisted

suppliers for the follow-up, I don’t haveto worry about price issues.”

Jo Harvey

Harvey admits that the process ofpulling together an RFP was evenmore thorough than before becauseof the need to be highly specific tofacilitate the eAuction.

While BA admits that handlers willtake time to adjust to this method, thecarrier remains convinced that auc-tions will not only foster best pro-curement practice but also allow it towork more closely, and productively,with preferred suppliers.

“Holding an eAuction is just a way ofachieving market price at a locationrather than batting backwards andforwards on price,”comments Harvey.

“I think it definitely helps in terms ofbuilding strategic partnerships.”

BA plans to carefully assess theresults of the inaugural ground hand-ling eAuction before deciding onadopting a similar tact elsewhere.

“This was our first eAuction for groundhandling and we need to take awaythe learning from that,” says Harvey.

“I found it a very interesting processand hope the suppliers enjoyed it. Iwould definitely use it again given thesame criteria.”

Richard Rowe

■ An update on the integration ofthe former CSC into our newSwissport Cargo Services busi-ness line

■ A variety of outsourcing possibil-ities for airline customers

■ The new Swissport franchise part-nership programme and its bene-fits


S A D F

divide by cooperating with all agentsin an airline’s network.”

Unitpool currently offers either a fullservice where it takes over an airline’s ULD supply, repair, control and

tracking, or a management controlonly service. Unitpool also maintainsglobal contracts for ULD repair.

Already, says Hill, Unitpool hasreceived enquiries from a variety ofairlines, large and small.

“The operations and the headachesare all the same – as are our solu-tions,” he says.

B U S I N E S S D E V E L O P M E N T

SERVICE EXPANSION ■ ULD management

Pooling resourcesSwissport recently became a ma-jority shareholder in Unitpool, aSwiss company that offers a var-iety of ULD management servicesto airlines around the world.

S W I S S P O R T C O N F I R M E Dan agreement in March to provideULD supply, management and pool-ing services together with fellowSwiss company, Unitpool.

Under the agreement, Unitpool willretain its independence, but will lookto establish close links throughout theSwissport station network.

Unitpool is now in a strong positionto accelerate its expansion by tappinginto Swissport’s global reach, whileSwissport is able to add comprehen-sive ULD management expertise toits service menu.

“ULD operations are dependent ongood performance by ground hand-ling agents,” explains Philip Hill,Unitpool’s Managing Director andCEO. “By combining our efforts, wewill be able to provide improved ULDservices to all of our customers.”

Unitpool was established in April2002 following a management buyout

of the former SAir Group companyGlobepool. Since then, Unitpool hasfocussed on relieving the many ULD-related headaches that plague airlinessuch as loss, theft, unnecessary dam-age and stock imbalances.

The Unitpool approach is gearedtowards improving overall control,reducing loss and damage and man-aging station stocks. It also aims toreduce the overall stock of airlineULDs by operating a pooling system.

“Airlines might contract globally withmany different ground handlingagents,” explains Hill. “However, wework across the ground handling

Swissport executives are lookingforward to the IATA Ground Hand-ling Council (IGHC) meeting inSouth Africa from 25 to 28 May.

T H E A N N U A L I G H C meet-ing is a must for the ground handlingcommunity and this year’s event inSun City promises to be no exception.Swissport plans to send a high-leveldelegation of top global managerswho will be on hand to discuss ways inwhich Swissport can help customersachieve their ground service goals. Itpromises to be another busy meetingwith much to discuss, including:

■ Latest details on our networkexpansion and joint ventures

■ And, of course, important negoti-ations on a bilateral level

This year, Swissport will be present atexhibition booths Nos. C1–C6.

Stephan Beerli

Current customers include Air Europe,Sobelair, Aeris, Volare, SN BrusselsAirlines, Euralair and, most recently,Aer Lingus.

Now with Swissport on board, Unit-pool plans to broaden its appeal andextend its global pool of ULDs.

“We look forward to working closelywith Swissport and generating furtherglobal awareness of our services,”says Hill.

Richard Rowe

Y O U R C O N TA C T

Philip HillManaging Director andCEO, Unitpool Steinackerstrasse 2CH-8302 KlotenPhone: +41 43 255 [email protected]

I G H C S U N C I T Y

Together with Swissport, Unitpool is now the industry’s biggest name in ULD management.

OUT OF AFRICA ■ Meeting and greeting

See you in South Africcaa

“ULD operations are dependenton good performance by ground

handling agents.”


S A D F

basis. Beyond using our preventivemaintenance methods, this tool per-forms powerful duty cycle analysisenabling us to prevent unscheduleddowntimes of our fleet.

While it was a challenge to purchasethe right system for our organisa-tion, it didn’t necessarily have to be painful. By adopting a method-ical approach we obtained the re-quired product while avoiding costlyextra features we didn’t expect touse.

Of course, the new software would be worth little if our shop staff werenot comfortable using it. As such,we also invested in many hours oftraining to ensure that our primaryusers understood the system andwere fully comfortable with it. These

G S E M A I N T E N A N C E

SUPPLY CHAIN ■ Performance management

Trouble-free GSEDespite the turbulence that hasbeset the industry, Swissport con-tinues to position itself for a brightfuture thanks to careful planningin areas such as ground supportequipment (GSE) maintenance.

E V E R W O N D E R how manyground support vehicles are not quitein tip-top shape at an airport?Ground handlers certainly know andthe number is often higher thanhoped. When Swissport took a lookat various airports around the worldrecently, it was clear that many ve-hicles could benefit from additionalmaintenance to increase their ser-viceable life and overall reliability.

Additional industry figures certainlysuggest room for improvement – par-ticularly when you consider thatequipment failure between sched-uled downtimes reduces the dispatchreliability of GSE, overall perform-ance and, of course, return on invest-ment.

While performance and dependa-bility may not necessarily top the priority charts like safety, ground

handlers surely tempt fate when they operate unreliable vehicles. It iscrucial therefore that GSE ownersand operators stick to maintenanceschedules and recommended main-tenance intervals to keep equipmentup and running.

Maintenance trackingThe first maintenance tracking sys-tem I was exposed too was a box ofindex cards that my father-in-lawkept in his one-man automobile re-pair shop. He was a passionate automechanic and was responsible forkeeping his customers’ cars runningsafely. When I assisted him in hisbusiness, I came to appreciate thesimple, but effective system.

In today’s ramp environment, how-ever, we manage more than just asmall clientele of car owners. Simi-larly, a box of index cards is certainlynot an adequate tool to manage thekind of large fleets of diversifiedequipment found on airport rampstoday.

We need the ability to forecast man-power requirements, schedule main-tenance, analyse parts inventories,develop budgets,and gather historicalinformation on each piece of equip-

ment in order to maintain the expect-ed high standards.

Promoting excellenceAs Swissport continues to stream-line and optimise its operations,knowledge management increasingly plays a key role in planning and execution. Intelligent metrics inmaintenance operations and assetperformance are critical to ensure predictable and consistent overalloperations.

With this in mind, our GSE mainten-ance bases in Basel, Geneva and NewYork have implemented an importantmaintenance tool thatprovides a pow-erful yet flexible knowledge manage-ment capability that enables us tomeasure Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) across our maintenance oper-ations.

We are now able to define andconfigure specific KPIs for differentroles and locations, providing criticalperformance data on a “need to know”

As Swissport continues to streamlineand optimise its operations,

knowledge management increasinglyplays a key role in planning and

execution.

It is crucial that GSE owners and operators stick to maintenance schedules and recom-mended maintenance intervals to keep equipment up and running.

Walk this way: Swissport’s new maintenance system allows the measurement of key performance indicators across its maintenanceoperations.

people have now become our func-tional experts and are able to help outless frequent users.

Customer benefitsEnterprises today are focussed onoperational and procedural efficien-cies to make them more competitiveand responsive across the board.Systems must address business needsboth now and in the future, and besuitable for use not only within theorganisation, but also together withpartners and customers.

With the implementation of our newmaintenance system, Swissport Inter-national is one such enterprise that isconfident of meeting the efficiencyneeds of customers worldwide.

Mark Salathe


Calcary

N E T W O R K

Some of the more than 650 customers served bySwissport International around the world

Adria AirwaysAer LingusAero LloydAeroflot Russian Intl. AirlinesAerolíneas ArgentinasAeromexicoAir 2000Air AlgérieAir CanadaAir ChinaAir EuropeAir FranceAir IndiaAir Jamaica Ltd.Air LittoralAir MaltaAir MauritiusAir SeychellesAir Tanzania Air Transat A.T. Inc.AlitaliaAll Nippon AirwaysAmerica West Airlines Inc.American Airlines Inc.American Trans Air Inc.AnatoliaArizona Fueling FacilitiesArkia Israeli Airlines Ltd.Asiana AirlinesAtlas Air Inc.Austrian AirlinesAviancaAvioimpexBAX Global Inc.Belair Airlines AGBiman Bangladesh AirlinesBoston Fueling CorporationBritish AirwaysCargolux Airlines InternationalCathay Pacific AirwaysChina Airlines Ltd.China Eastern AirlinesCondor Flugdienst GmbH

Congo AirlinesContinental Airlines Inc.Copa AirlinesCroatia AirlinesCSA – Czech AirlinesCyprus AirwaysDelta Air Lines Inc.DHL Worldwide ExpressEasyJet Switzerland S.A.EgyptairEl Al Israel Airlines Ltd.Emery Worldwide Airlines Inc.EmiratesEthiopian AirlinesEva Airways CorporationFederal Express CorporationFinnairFort Myers Fuel CommitteeFreebird Airlines A.S.Ghana AirwaysGOL Transportes AéreosGulf AirIberiaIcelandairJapan Airlines Co. Ltd.JAT – Jugoslav AirlinesKLM Royal Dutch AirlinesKorean AirKTHY – Kibris Türk Hava YolariKuwait AirwaysLacsaLAN Chile S.A.Lauda AirLibyan Arab AirlinesLOT – Polish Airlines S.A.LTU International AirwaysLufthansaMaersk AirMalaysian Airline SystemMalev – Hungarian AirlinesMartinair HollandMEA – Middle East AirlinesMesa Airlines

Mexicana AirlinesMNG AirlinesNippon Cargo AirlinesNorth American Airlines Inc.Northwest Airlines Inc.Oakland Fuel FacilitiesOlympic AirwaysOrlando Sanford InternationalPegasusPIA – Pakistan Intern. AirlinesPolarQantas Airways Ltd.Qatar AirwaysRoyal Air MarocRoyal JordanianSaudi Arabian AirlinesScandinavian Airlines SystemSingapore AirlinesSkymasterSN Brussels AirlinesSouth African AirwaysSouthwest Airlines CoSpanair S.A.SriLankan Airlines Ltd.Swiss International Air LinesSyrianairTACA International Airlines SATAP – Air PortugalTaromThai Airways InternationalTrans World AirlinesTunisairTurkish AirlinesUnited AirlinesUnited Parcel ServiceUS AirwaysVarig – Brazilian AirlinesVirgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.Virgin ExpressVolare Airlines SpAWorld Airways Inc.


N E T W O R K

K E Y F I G U R E S F O R 2 0 0 3 S W I S S P O R T

Number of customers over 650Number of employees over 18,000Number of airports over 150Annual revenue (estimate) USD 860,000,000Metric tonnes handled 2,500,000Passengers handled per year 60,000,000

Latest contracts signed

Atlanta JAL

Basel Onur Air, Euro Ops/Euro Jet

Berlin LTU, Air Transat

Brussels China Southern Cargo

Cancún Air 2000, Pace Airlines

Cebu Peac, UPS

Chicago Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air Jamaica,

Apple Vacations Inc, TACA

Frankfurt Air Transat, Northwest Airlines, Swiss Cargo

Geneva Aer Lingus, Antinea Airlines,

British Midland Regional, E.A.E.

Malmö Aviation, Nordic Airlink, THAI

Hanover Air Nostrum, Iberia

Johannesburg Phoebus Apollo

Las Vegas Omni Air International

Liège TMA Cargo

Lima Avianca

London Swiss Cargo

Los Angeles Aer Lingus

Miami Alaska Airlines, Pan American

Newark/EWR Active Aero, BAX Global

New York/JFK Austrian Airlines, Ghana Airways, Malev,

Pakistan Intl. Airlines, Universal Airways

Puerto Plata Westjet Airlines

Punta Cana Zoom

Santo Domingo JetsGo

São Paulo Aerosur, Lapa

Seattle American Transair,

Scandinavian Airlines System

Thessaloniki British Royal Air Force

Vienna Aer Lingus, Air Valee S.p.A., Iberia

Washington/IAD Austrian Airlines, TACA

Zürich Germanwings, Hahn Airlines, Volare


H U M A N R E S O U R C E S

ing to a civilian managementrole.

“This meant dealing not onlywith local customers, but also international clients,which requires a veryopen mind to differ-ent ideas,” he adds.

On arrival, Paul reorgan-ised the security depart-ment, unified the work force and channelled thecollective energy of thegroup towards creating asafer, more secure airport en-vironment.

Today, strict measures are in place to combat petty crime, includingthorough body searches for all per-sonnel allocated duties at certainpoints.

“We now have a highly motivated,disciplined and well-trained securityteam, which is the envy of many at the airport,” explains Paul. “Whatbrings me great happiness is the fact that we have managed to bringtheft and pilferage cases down toalmost nil.”

Of course, as terrible events inMombassa last year demonstrated,the threat in Kenya and other parts of the world involves much more than just petty theft.

“The fact that Kenya has been hit byinternational terrorists twice meansthat we have a very delicate andtough job to do,” admits Paul.“That’swhy we don’t compromise on securitymatters.”

While the government has beefed up airport security, Paul believes Swissport has made the airportairtight. “We ensure that 100%

Crime bustersAs Swissport Kenya’s Security Man-ager at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Paul Runguoversees the largest team of securitystaff in the Swissport network.

It is a complex operation and Paul’ssecurity team has already grown from50 to 80 agents in three years.

Prior to his arrival, damage to pas-sengers’ property and pilferage fromsort areas and aircraft holds wascommon at the airport, as was pettytheft from the aircraft cabin itself.

But Paul came to Swissport after 11 years in the Kenyan police forceand knows crime prevention insideout: by the time Paul left the force he had risen to the rank of super-intendent in charge of training at the CID headquarters in Nairobi.

The combination of investigative,administrative and public relationsskills that typify modern-day policework helped Paul adjust to life atSwissport.

“That exposure has been key to myeasy integration into the Swissportfamily,” he says.

Nonetheless, Paul still had to adaptfrom a background in military train-

passenger and baggagescreening takes place, while

aircraft are guarded to the hilt and nounauthorised persons are allowednear them,” he explains.

The hard work has definitely paid offand Paul is quick to congratulate hisstaff: “We can now boast a unified,committed team that is doing a reallycommendable job for all of ourcustomers.”

FA S T FA C T

Swissport security customers atNairobi include South AfricanAirways, British Airways, El Al,the British Royal Air Force, Alli-ance Express,SN Brussels Airlinesand Swiss.

PA U L R U N G U

Paul is 41 years old, married, withthree children. Brought up in rural Kenya, he graduated fromKenyatta University with a Bach-elor of Education. Paul taught in a secondary school and thenspent 11 years in the Kenyanpolice force prior to joiningSwissport in 2000.

“A serious security person is onduty 24 hours a day,”believes Paul.

Here is a typical day at NairobiInternational Airport:

6.30 am: Arrive at the airport andlook through the security reportbook. Any incidents noted arefollowed up with the supervisor/agents on duty8.00 am: Visit the ramp area forthe morning flights and overseeoperations11.00 am: Return to the office foradministrative duties2.00 pm: Back to the ramp area to direct operations for the after-noon5.00 pm: Speak with duty staffabout night operations. Impromptupersonal visits to check the teamguarding equipment overnightsometimes continue to 1.00 am

Ready for action: Paul Rungu (centre)together with colleagues Francis Koimburiand Josephine Wambua.

Paul Rungu with Security SupervisorJosephine Wambua.

PEOPLE ■ The oil in our machine

So, you think you’ve got what it takes to become part of Swissport’s worldwide pool of talent? Here’s how two outstanding people use their skills to make a difference for customers every day.

K E N YA


Cana – but is considered one of akind. First, it is the only station in theDominican Republic where Swiss-port provides a full menu of groundservices that includes passenger, rampand executive aviation handling.

But it is also a full service with a twist.What really makes La Romanaunique is that Swissport is also theonly company entrusted to providefull passenger and baggage handlingfor cruise ships at the nearby port.

Airlines such as Condor operate fly-cruise packages, and Swissportcoordinates all of the passenger andbaggage handling between the air and seaports. On other occasions,however, there is no onward connec-tion at the airport and Swissportoperates as a 100% cruise ship hand-ler – a non-aviation related servicethat is unique within the Swissportnetwork.

Work began with the cruise ships inDecember and Swissport handledmore than 2,470 passengers in thefirst month. “We currently providethe service four days a week,”explains Hector. “The high season for cruises runs between the end ofNovember through May.”

Thanks to Swissport, passengersconnecting from Condor flights enjoya smooth journey from the airport –about 20 minutes drive by road –before sailing away on ships bearingevocative names such as Romanticaand Millennium.

“We meet the cruise ships and deliverpassengers and their baggage fromthe pier to the airport and backagain,” says Hector.

Plane sailingMost Swissport managers expect tooversee the handling of aircraftduring their day-to-day work. ForHector Mercedes, however, this isonly half the job: as Station Managerfor Swissport Dominicana’s LaRomana station, he is also in chargeof a thriving cruise ship handlingoperation.

Swissport has only operated at LaRomana since November 2002, butHector and his team have quicklybuilt the largest handling operation at the airport, serving 80% of alltraffic.

La Romana is Swissport’s fourthstation on the island – after SantoDomingo, Puerto Plata and Punta

For Hector, variety really is the spiceof life and it is balancing the two oper-ations, air and sea, that is perhaps thegreatest challenge.

“We need to keep the bags secure andcoordinate the on-time arrival anddeparture of trucks from the port andthe airport,” he explains.

Of course, La Romana is not justabout cruises and plenty of otherairlines serve the airport, each trans-porting holidaymakers wishing tomake the most of the island’s sun-shine and beautiful beaches.

“It is important that we honour thecommitment that Swissport makes toall the airlines that we serve,” saysHector.

Such airlines include AirTransat,Belair, Corsair, Air Canada, LaudaAir Italy, Skyservice, USA3000,Air Europa, Aeris, Britannia, JMC,MyTravel, Monarch, Air Europe,Ryan, Monarch and Eurofly.

Richard Rowe

C O N TA C T

For more information aboutjoining the Swissport team world-wide, contact:

Peter GrafVice President Human Resources P.O. BoxCH-8058 Zürich-AirportPhone: +41 1 812 87 [email protected]

H E C T O R M E R C E D E S

Born in La Romana, 41-year-oldHector Mercedes is married andhas three children. He entered theairline industry from college andworked for a local ground hand-ling company at Punta Cana Air-port. There, he rose to the post ofsub-director in charge of GSE andramp operations before joiningSwissport.

“Being in charge of so many areasmeans that I have to be availablethe whole day,” comments Hector.

Here is a typical day combining airand sea handling operations:

6.00 am: Arrive at the port. Coor-dinate the secure movement oftrucks and baggage, and ensurethat the customs guard is present8.30 am: Arrive at the airport.Work through the executive avia-tion area checking the logbookand verifying staff numbers for themorning shift11.30 am: Administration, thenoversee handling of passengersfrom the pier and collection ofbaggage for Condor check-in2.30 pm: Visit maintenance area tocheck status of all GSE3.30 pm – 6.30 pm: Oversee opera-tions on the ramp and ensure ar-rangements are in place for trans-port to the waiting cruise ships7.00 pm: Final administrativeduties and return home close tomidnight

Swissport Dominicana’s 98-strong teamrun a tight ship whichever “port” theyserve.

La Romana is the only station in theSwissport network to also offer pure shiphandling.

H U M A N R E S O U R C E S

D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C

Extensive preparations were con-ducted in advance of the new opera-tion, especially in the training of ourpushback drivers. Having completedsix weeks of theoretical and practicalinstruction in Basel (by SwissportBasel) and Zürich, our drivers arenow applying what they learnt toensure operations are as smooth andsafe as possible.

The full operation started on 1 Janu-ary and 47 airlines are currently un-der contract to be pushed back bySwissport at Zürich. A lot of our cus-tomers are still parked on remotestands where pushback is not needed,but this will, of course, change withthe opening of the new MidfieldTerminal.

Today’s situation means that we onlyhave an average of 40 pushbacks perday. First experience shows that theefforts we put in training and equip-ment have paid off and a reliable andefficient organisation handles ourcustomers’ precious aircraft.

This new pushback service adds afurther component to the full range of ground handling products offered

to our airline customers in Zürich.

■ B A S E L

Swissport Basel is pleased toannounce:

■ The signing of new handlingcontracts with Air2000 and Inter-Sky

■ The extension of our presentcontract with Hapag Lloyd for an additional two and a half years

■ The return of Korean Air Cargowith one weekly full-freighter ser-vice

Roland Etter, Roland BreitlerMartin Brügger


S W I S S D I V I S I O N

Swissport.The “simple” procedure had a fewsnags to be ironed out, as discoveredfollowing implementation. The ar-rangement also demands extremeflexibility from our staff who nolonger have all the data in their ownhands, but are now reliant to someextent on other parties.

We are confident, however, that thenew arrangement not only meets acustomer demand, but also helps usperform our work more efficiently.

Pushback milestone The date 15 November marked a milestone in the Zürich station operations when, at 12.30 pm, aMalaysian Airlines Boeing 777 be-came the first aircraft to be pushedback from its stand by a Swissport Zürich pushback tractor. Previously,this service was only provided by

SR Technics.

S W I S S P O R T S W I T Z E R L A N D FA C T S & F I G U R E S

BASEL GENEVA ZÜRICH2001 2002 2001 2002 2001 2002

Personnel (incl. temp staff) per Nov 02 580 958 2,089

Departure production 39,347 34,401 43,200 41,400 125,286 110,823

Departed passenger production 1,224,600 1,046,204 2,400,000 2,200,000 9,439,079 7,807,330

Customer airlines 29 42 69

performance of handling ser-vices via a variety of IT systems

does not just impact on passen-ger services; it poses quite a chal-

lenge for Zürich’s load controloperations, too.And innovative solu-tions are being devised in response.

Lufthansa, for example, introducednew centralised load control fromFrankfurt via its Lufthansa LoadControl System on 8 January – theday the airline’s check-in also switchedto the Starcheck system.

The centralised solution has alreadybeen successfully pioneered at Frank-furt and Düsseldorf and we are proudthat Zürich has become the first non-German Lufthansa station toadopt this centralised load controlprocedure.

Under the new arrangement, all basicdata on the flights is stored in theLufthansa weight and balance sys-tem. The relevant cargo, passengerand baggage data is also pro-cessed in Frankfurt, with theresponsible coordinator atthe aircraft confirmingto Frankfurt what hasactually been loaded.Frankfurt then trans-mits the ACARSload sheet directly tothe cockpit crew.

The cutover on 8January went smooth-ly thanks to a prepara-tion phase that saw atrue collaborative effortbetween all parties in-volved: Lufthansa, Sita, EDS,Airport Authority Unique and

HOME FRONT ■ Zürich, Geneva and Basel

Swissport Switzerlandat work

Our Swiss divisionnow has its own page in Swiss-reporter to update readers on allthe latest news and developmentsfrom the largest national organi-sation within the Swissport Inter-national Group.

■ S W I S S P O R TS W I T Z E R L A N D

All together now Swissport Switzerland – the amalgam-ation of our three stations in Basel,Geneva and Zürich – has now be-come a reality, even if the foundationof an “AG”Swiss joint-stock companyhas been postponed.

Following our coming together,severalworking groups are now exploringways to exploit the synergies avail-able in our various marketing,finance, IT, HR and training units toensure that we provide such servicesfaster,more efficiently and even morecost-effectively.

■ Z Ü R I C H

Zürich’s centralisedload controlSwissport Zürich has discovered thatthe ability of CUTE to allow the


some movement towards consolida-tion among handlers, have also had a significant impact on quality andprice.

Does the study highlight MemberStates where liberalisation has eithergone too far or not nearly farenough?

Rather than singling out particularcountries or markets, the study findsthat in those places /airports where

liberalisation has taken place grad-ually and in full compliance with theDirective, the effects have been thehealthiest.

On a more cautious note, it was foundthat at airports where the groundhandling markets have been com-pletely opened (at the initiative ofMember States and/or airports them-selves) such as at the large UK air-ports and Amsterdam Schiphol, therehas been a sudden rise in serviceproviders, hence a drop in prices,but also in quality. Then, over timeand after a “shake-out”, the situationbecame balanced again.

Also, some Member States have beenreluctant to fully and faithfully trans-pose the Directive into their nationallegislation and as a result liberali-sation in these Member States islimited. With regard to these coun-tries, the Commission is forced to takelegal action.

To your mind, how successful hasliberalisation of ground handlingservices been in Europe?

We should bear in mind that anynegative comments have come mainlyfrom the airports, which may have

UK consultant SH&E re-cently completed a study

reviewing the impact of theEuropean Commission (EC)

Directive on ground handlingat European airports. The study

involved visits to stakeholders at33 airports as well as a postalsurvey conducted with a further48 airports. Swissreporter askedRoderic van Voorst from the EC (DG Transport and Energy) AirportPolicy and Security Unit about itsfindings.

Swissreporter: Please explain whythe EC undertook this first report onthe impact of the Directive.

Roderic van Voorst: Article 22 of the EC Directive on ground hand-ling (Council Directive 96/67/EC onaccess to the ground handling marketat Community airports) requires thatthe Commission draw up a report onthe implementation of the Directive anumber of years after its coming intoeffect, and that this report be accom-panied by proposals for revision. Thestudy enables the Commission todraw up that report.

Who was involved in the review andhow well was it received?

SH&E met with representatives of theairport operator, the Airport Users’Committee, the Airport Operators’Committee, independent handlersand self-handling airlines. At severalairports, the consultant also met with worker representatives.

I would say it was welcomed posi-tively, and for two reasons: first,

stakeholders felt it wasappropriate and timely to

undertake a survey some yearsafter the coming into effect of theDirective; and, second, they praisedthe consultant for the high quality and the accuracy of the study.

And how did the stakeholders pro-vide input?

Stakeholders, as well as MemberStates’ authorities, contributed by

providing SH&E with all the infor-mation necessary to assemble therelevant data and facts.This was donethrough questionnaires and face-to-face interviews.

Also, the Commission organised an in-between meeting with SH&E andstakeholders to provide an oppor-tunity to comment on interim resultsreflected in a draft final report and toprovide the consultant with correc-tions and additional information.

What were the key findings of thereview?

The main findings are that, ingeneral, airport users (i.e. airlines)have noticed an improvement in theprovision of ground handling ser-vices since the introduction of theDirective in terms of quality andespecially price.

However, it is viewed that it is notjust the Directive that has broughtabout changes in the ground hand-ling market. Changes in the industryand the market itself, such as con-tinuous cost cutting of airlines and

“Stakeholders felt it was appropriateand timely to undertake a survey

some years after the coming into effectof the Directive.”

been the losers in the liberalisationprocess as their existing monopolieswere most affected.

The airlines and also the handlers,however, are very positive. As far asthe Commission is concerned, themain objective of the Directive i.e.gradual liberalisation has certainlybeen met. The findings, which followan extensive survey among all stake-holders, confirm this.

Certainly, there is always room forimprovement and the Commissionservices will instigate the necessarypreparations for this.

What happens now in terms of futureaction and policy decisions?

The Commission services will pre-pare the report and a proposal for arevision of the Directive. Beforedoing so, it is likely that a consultationpaper will be discussed with Member

States and stakeholders first, so as totest the Commission’s ideas foramending the Directive.

Interview: Richard Rowe

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E

The full report and appendices submitted by SH&E can be found at:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/air/index_en.htm

Click on: The functioning of the air transport market

Then click on: Proposals, studies and reports

“As far as the Commission is concerned, the main objective of

the Directive i.e. gradual liberalisationhas certainly been met.”

GROUND HANDLING DIRECTIVE ■ First report card

I N T E R V I E W : E U R O P E A N C O M M I S S I O N

After several rounds of meetingsover recent months, the indepen-dent ground handling communitynow has a new vehicle for high-lighting industry concerns andpursuing best practice.

THE INTERNATIONAL Avia-tion Handlers’ Association (IAHA)is up and running. The new organisa-tion is the successor to the Independ-ent Aircraft Handling Association,but promises to be a more dynamicand broader-based body.

Its formation is based on the firmobjective of highlighting key industryissues and helping drive our sectortowards the best possible solutions.

The new IAHA is the product ofseveral meetings over the last fewmonths in which key players in theground handling industry have sattogether to determine where thesector is heading and how they could

create an industry-wide organisationto represent their interests and con-cerns. In doing so, the IAHA aims toput a special focus on the needs ofindependent ground handling compa-nies.

But that’s not all. Further aims of thenew IAHA include:

■ Representing the ground handlingindustry in the world air transportand airport sectors

■ Providing a forum for exchangingviews and concerns

■ Developing industry-wide stand-ards and solutions

■ Cultivating contacts with otherassociations

■ Training its members to furtherraise the industry’s professionalstandards

Membership of the new IAHA isopen to any ground handlers aroundthe world that are not owned or controlled by an airline or an airport.

The new IAHA was officially launchedduring Ground Handling Interna-tional magazine’s conference inRome last November.

Over 30 well-respected industry play-ers have so far signed up as members,

including the ground handlers’ asso-ciations in the US and the MiddleEast.

The IAHA board has already beenestablished and comprises a broadbase of senior members representingground handling companies from the US, Europe and the Middle East.

In addition, IAHA has also estab-lished several key working groups,which means that the association isnow fully functional and ready tobegin its work. Current plans call fortwo general meetings a year togetherwith regular communications to allmembers.

The IAHA is keen to emphasise,however, that it has no intention ofviolating any anti-trust legislation orengaging in any anti-competitiveactivities.

For further details and informationon how to join,please visit the organi-sation’s website at www.iaha.info

Stephan Beerli


S A D FI N D U S T RY D E V E L O P M E N T S

COMMON GOALS ■ Global voice for handlers

The IAHA is (re)born

IAHA aims to put a special focus on the needs of independent ground

handling companies.

Membership of the new IAHA is opento any ground handlers around the

world that are not owned or controlledby an airline or an airport.

IAHA WORKING GROUPS

Several IAHA working groupshave already been formed, eachwith a responsible board memberand chairman.

The working groups cover some ofthe key issues facing the groundhandling industry today and in-clude:

■ Legal and insurance issues

■ IT developments

■ Regulatory issues

■ Health and safety,environment, security and training

■ Service level agreements,benchmarking

■ Cargo

W W W. I A H A . I N F O

■ S W I S S P O R TE U R O P E

European managementchangesJohn Mc Donagh will succeed Jean-Didier Savioz as Head of DivisionEurope from 1 April. Mc Donagh,

former CEO of Cargo Service Centerand currently Head of Swissport’scargo operations, will be responsiblefor all European operations fromhis base in Frankfurt. He will be sup-ported by Michel F. Jansen as the newCFO Europe.

Meanwhile,Jean-Didier Savioz movesto Nice to assume overall responsibil-ity for all of the Swissport Group’sFrench operations. To complete thepicture, Georges Peter, who is cur-rently in charge of Swissport France,will take on new duties when hemoves to Crete to lead Swissport HellasSouth.

Elsewhere, a new management teamassumed responsibility for SwissportGermany on 1 January. Hans-RuediMoser left Havas in Turkey to take upnew duties as General Manager Pas-senger/Ramp Handling in addition totaking on the role of interim Manager

involved jointly exploring furtherbusiness opportunities at three sta-tions in Saudi Arabia.

After nearly three years of workingtogether, the two boards of directorshave decided not to prolong thecooperation and terminated theexisting agreement, effective 1 Feb-ruary.

Claude Badan, currently GeneralManager and the representative ofSwissport, will remain in the countryfor two months to cover the busy Hajjperiod and to ensure a smooth handover.

Claude Badan

■ G E R M A N Y

WirelesscommunicationSwissport Germany is busy testing acordless headset for communicationbetween ground, cockpit and towtruck during pushback and enginestart – the first use of such equipmentin Europe.

The headset is a noise-compensatedheavy-duty communication unit.Thiskind of cordless equipment givesramp agents greater flexibility, notleast because they are able to movearound the aircraft or in the officewithout the limitation of a cable.

Station Manager Irene Grell admitsthat her colleagues even think she has attached her beauty case to theaircraft – as this is what the equip-ment resembles! Once she has re-trieved her belongings, Irene will bemore than happy to provide infor-mation on the equipment to interes-ted parties at other stations (contact:[email protected]).

Irene Grell

■ M E X I C O

Mexican inroadsIn 2002, Swissport Mexico made great strides towards reaching its goal of market leadership in the coun-try. Thanks to outstanding teamwork and forging strong relationships withcurrent and potential customers,Swissport Mexico’s customer port-folio increased 87% in the secondhalf of 2002.

In the period July – December 2002,Swissport Mexico picked up a varietyof important customers, includingLauda Air, Eurofly, Lloyd Aero Boli-viano, KLM, Belair and Air2000.

Judging from customer feedback,Swissport Mexico is now really reach-ing the desired quality levels.

“We would like to communicate thatafter initiation of our handling oper-ations with Swissport we have seenexcellent results,” reports Iberia’sStation Manager in Cancún.

“Swissport provides services withcharacteristics of security and qualitywhich have never been provided to usby another company.”

Silvia Fernández Da Silva

S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E

NNeettwwoorrkk NNeewwss aanndd VViieewwssat Swissport Germany’s Düsseldorfheadquarters. The Havas Board ofDirectors has appointed Cüneyd Senas the company’s new General Man-ager.

Meanwhile,Swissport Germany’s over-all cargo activities are now led by for-mer CSC manager Heath White asPresident and interim CEO (see fullreport on page two).

Overall responsibility for Swissport’scargo activities remains with Dr.Lud-wig Bertsch, who, as Executive VicePresident Corporate Services, is alsoin charge of the group’s various cor-porate services units. In addition tohis regional and local cargo managers,Bertsch will in future be further sup-ported by two dedicated key accountmanagers.

Swissport also continues to assesscandidates for the position of CEO inGermany following the departure ofThomas Neff to take up an executivemanagement post at a Swiss publictransport company.

Finally, Paul Arnold, former CountryHead of CSC, has been designatedCEO of Swissport UK with overallresponsibility for both cargo and pas-senger handling, effective 1 June. For-mer CEO Mike Maguire will takeover new assignments within Swiss-port International.

Stephan Beerli

■ S A U D I A R A B I A

Swissport and NFS part waysSince April 2000, Swissport Inter-national and Saudi-based MakshaffServices have enjoyed close levels ofcooperation. Much of this centred on a management agreement withNational Flight Service (NFS) that

Hans-RuediMoser

JohnMc Donagh


Swissport Germany continues to test thenew ramp communications unit.


■ S PA I N

Avanza salutes Swissport Spain The Avanza Business & Communi-cation Group has granted SwissportHandling S.A. Spain its AvanzaQuality Award in the Category Gold.

The Avanza Award acknowledgesSwissport Spain’s continuous efforttowards quality, leadership and tech-nological innovation.

María Luz Doce

■ P E R S O N N E L

New VP for IT ManagementJoachim Aschoff has joined Swiss-port International as the group’snew VP IT Management. The 38-year-old Aschoff has spent morethan a dozen years in the airline and travel industries and worked

with high-profile organisations suchas Lufthansa, General Electric andSwissair.

“My aim at Swissport is to help thegroup reach cost transparency as wellas develop and implement a company-wide IT strategy,” he explained.

Stephan Beerli

■ G E N E VA

Congratulations AlinghiThe success of Swiss challengerAlinghi in The America’s Cup saw theprestigious sailing trophy return toEurope for the first time in 150 years!

S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E

The Geneva Airport fire brigade wel-comed the victors home with a specialfire hose salute on 8 March.

Swissport was extremely proud tohandle the Malaysia Airlines B747that brought the team back fromAuckland via Kuala Lumpur.

Beat Ruchti

■ C U S T O M E R C O N TA C T

New sales structureAs part of an ongoing endeavour toenhance contacts with customers,Swissport plans to introduce a newsales organisation on 1 April. Underthe new concept, local Station andCountry Managers will also assumecommercial responsibilities, assistedin their duties by an eight-strong spe-cialist Global Sales Team.

The eight new Sales Directors, whowill report directly to their divisionalheads, will also be involved in globalkey account management and in fur-ther enhancing sales activities all overthe world.

The new Global Sales Team will beled and coordinated by Tony Iveyfrom his Washington base. StephanBeerli remains Executive Vice Presi-dent Sales & Marketing, based inZürich.

At the same time and with immediateeffect, Dirk Jan de Roo, former COOof CSC, will take over the responsi-bility for all operational issues(including quality) as Vice Presidentbased in Zürich.

Stephan Beerli

■ I N D I A

Cambata collaborationSwissport has expanded its opera-tions to the high-potential Indianmarket in a multi-year cooperationagreement with Cambata AviationPvt. Limited.

Cambata, founded in 1959, is one ofthe largest and best-known groundhandlers in India. The company han-dled some 8,000 flights on behalf of 18airlines at its Mumbai and Delhi sta-tions last year.

Swissport aims to use the new part-nership to establish itself as a globalprovider on the Indian market, devel-oping both partners’ position in Indiaand representing Cambata all overthe world.

“We are very interested in further col-laboration with high-quality compa-nies in the region,” said Joseph InAlbon, President & CEO, SwissportInternational.

Stephan Beerli

Joachim Aschoff

News Ticker✈

✈ AWA R D S D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I CBritannia Airlines has awarded its 2002 On Time Performance

Award to Swissport’s Puerto Plata (for the third year in a row) and LaRomana stations.

N A I R O B I , K E N YASwissport Kenya has won the 2001 Safety Operations merit award

from the Kenya Airports Authority for its operation at Nairobi’s JomoKenyatta International Airport. The award for 2002 will be announcedlater this year.

Z Ü R I C H , S W I T Z E R L A N DDelta Airlines’ Zürich operation, handled by Swissport Zürich,

has won the carrier’s international network Peak Performance Trophy forthe significant improvement in the reduction of mishandled baggageduring the third quarter of 2002. Separately, Swissport Zürich alsoreceived a commendation from Japan Airlines’ head office for achievingramp incident-free operations during 2002 for the fourth year in succession.

C A P E T O W N , S O U T H A F R I C AAirports Company South Africa has awarded Swissport Cape

Town as Airside Operator of the Year 2002.

C A N C Ú N , M E X I C OCongratulations to Swissport Cancún for winning Air2000’s

Station of the Month award – just three months into the new contract.

M O N T R E A L , C A N A D AAt the annual CIFFA Forwarder’s Choice Awards for Eastern

Canada, KLM Cargo was nominated as preferred carrier to Africa,Middle East, Mediterranean and Europe and also selected as theForwarder’s Choice to Europe. The airline beat off strong competition towin, for the third consecutive year, the prestigious Carrier of the Yearaward for its Montreal Dorval operation. KLM Cargo was quick to thankits handling team at the airport, Swissport Cargo Services.

✈ I S O 9 0 0 2 C E R T I F I C AT I O N SHanover and Bremen have successfully passed the external ISO

9002 certification audited by TÜV, which brings the total number ofSwissport stations accredited to 57.

■ Feedback

Editor’s note:We are always happy to highlight positive feedback and include in this issuea note from KLM Cargo’s representative in Mexico City to the former CSCde México team (now part of Swissport Cargo Services).

Dear All,I was pleased to read the following article in the recent KLM Cargo News-cast, an email newsletter distributed by CEO Michel Wisbrun. It is clear that these awards are only given to airlines with a reliable air and groundproduct, hence I felt that this award should be shared with CSC de México.

“On the evening of 6 December, KLM Cargo-Mexico received the yearlyaward from the Mexican Association of Cargo Agents (AMACARGA) forfirst place in Air Quality Service among domestic and international carriers.

“Maria Angin, Director of Sales and Service – Latin America, was present atthe award ceremony and heard personally from the agent community abouttheir appreciation for the excellent service received from the Mexico Sales andService Team.”

Therefore a special word of thanks to the entire former CSC Mexico team –Aaron, Ignacio, Jorge, José Luis, Lilia and Pablo – for their contribution tothe substantial increase in KLM Cargo’s market share, and in achievingrecognition as the best performing carrier over the Atlantic.

Well done and thanks for your contribution to winning this award.

Nico van Wieringen, KLM Cargo


H E A D O F F I C ESwissport International Ltd., Joseph In Albon,President & CEO, P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 1 812 2779, fax +41 1 811 1001

Swissport International Ltd., Stephan Beerli,EVP Marketing & Sales,P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport,[email protected],tel. +41 1 812 4950, fax +41 1 811 1001

Swissport International Ltd., Andreas Bühlmann,EVP & Chief Financial Officer,P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport,[email protected],tel. +41 1 812 4255, fax +41 1 811 1001

Swissport International Ltd., Cristina Feistmann,VP General Counsel, P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 1 812 3858, fax +41 1 811 1001

Swissport International Ltd., Dr. Ludwig Bertsch, EVP Corporate & Head Cargo Services, P.O. Box,CH-8058 Zürich-Airport,[email protected],tel. +41 1 812 2694, fax +41 1 811 1001

Swissport Executive Aviation, P.O. Box, CH-8058Zürich-Airport, [email protected], tel. +41 1 812 0346, fax +41 1 811 1001

A S I AM I D D L E E A S TA F R I C ASwissport International Ltd., Willy Hallauer, EVPDivision Asia/Middle East/Africa, P.O. Box,CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 1 812 2560, fax +41 1 811 1001

I S R A E LQ.A.S. – Quality Airport Services, Yossi Raviv,President & CEO, P.O. Box 136,Ben Gurion International Airport 70100, Israel,[email protected],tel. +972 3 972 7777, fax +972 3 972 7772

K E N YASwissport Kenya, Dirk Olav Everts, CEO,Jomo Kenyatta Intl. Airport/Unit 2,P.O. Box 19177, Nairobi, Kenya,[email protected],tel. +254 282 2020, fax +254 282 2329

T H E P H I L I P P I N E SMiascor, Juan C. Paraiso III, President & CEO,Citadel Holdings, Inc., 4/F, SGV II Bldg. 6758Ayala Avenue, Makati City,The Philippines, [email protected],tel. +63 2 851 9647, fax +63 2 851 9680

S O U T H A F R I C ASwissport South Africa (Pty) Ltd.,Fernand Stauffer, President & CEO,P.O. Box 5511, Johannesburg Intl. Airport 1620,South Africa, [email protected],tel. +27 11 928 8527, fax +27 11 928 8541

TA N Z A N I ADAHACO, Gaudence K. Temu, GeneralManager, P.O. Box 18043,Dar es Salaam Intl. Airport, Tanzania,[email protected]. +255 22 284 4610/14, fax +255 22 284 4343

S W I T Z E R L A N DSwissport International Ltd., Urs Sieber, EVPDivision Switzerland, P.O. Box,CH-8058 Zürich-Airport,[email protected],tel. +41 1 812 6170, fax +41 1 812 9195

B A S E LSwissport Basel AG, Stefan Resele,President & CEO, P.O. Box, CH-4030 Basel-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 61 3252300, fax +41 61 325 23 07

G E N E VASwissport Genève SA, Ernest Hochuli, President& CEO, P.O. Box 776, CH-1215 Geneva-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 2279930 10, fax +41 22 799 31 67

Z Ü R I C HSwissport Zürich AG, Urs Sieber,President & CEO, P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 1 812 6170, fax +41 1 812 9195

E U R O P ESwissport International Ltd., John Mc DonaghEVP Division Europe, Building 558b,Cargo City South, 6549 Frankfurt,[email protected]. +49 69 2197 9777, fax +49 69 2197 9799

A U S T R I ASwissport Austria GmbH, Renate Mackay,General Manager, World Trade Center TOP112, 1300 Vienna, Austria,[email protected],tel. +43 1 7007 35521, fax +43 1 7007 35523

B E L G I U MSwissport Cargo Services Belgium,Patrick Minsart, General Manager, Building721, 1931 Zaventem, Belgium,[email protected]. +32 2 751 6066, fax +32 2 753 0608

F R A N C ESwissport France, Jean-Didier Savioz,President & CEO, Immeuble Communica,455, Promenade des Anglais,06299 Nice Cedex 3, France,[email protected],tel. +33 4 9229 4452, fax +33 4 9229 4451

G E R M A N YSwissport Deutschland GmbH, Hans-RudolfMoser, General Manager Passenger Services,Wanheimer Strasse 45, 40472 Düsseldorf,Germany, [email protected]. +49 211 4371 3110, fax +49 211 4371 3111

Swissport Cargo Services Deutschland GmbH,Heath White, General Manager Cargo Services,Cargo City South, Building 558B,60549 Frankfurt, Germany,[email protected],tel. +49 69 219 7970, fax +49 69 219 79799

Aerogate Stuttgart GmbH, Klaus Knöpfle, General Manager, Flughafen Stuttgart, Terminal 1, 70629 Stuttgart, Germany, [email protected],tel. +49 711 948 2900, fax +49 711 948 24901

G R E E C ESwissport Hellas S.A., Simon Lehmann,General Manager, Athens International Airport,“Eleftherios Venizelos”, 19019 Spata, Greece,[email protected],tel. +30 210 353 7086, fax +30 210 353 7821

Swissport Hellas Sud, Georges Peter, GeneralManager, National Airport of Heraklion-Crete,“Nikos Kazantzakis”, 71601 Heraklion, Crete,[email protected],tel. +30 8 133 6970, fax +30 8 133 6971

I TA LYSwissport Cargo Services Italy, Sergio Squeri,General Manager, Via R. Morandi 76, 20090Segrate, Italy, [email protected],tel. +39 02 2692 0271, fax +39 02 2692 0257

L U X E M B O U R GSwissport Cargo Services Luxembourg,Oliver Hellwig, Managing Director, LuxembourgAirport, Cargo Center West/Findel Airport,2889 Luxembourg, Luxembourg,[email protected],tel. +352 26 426 2700, fax +352 26 426 2702

R U S S I ASwissport Cargo Services Russia, NataliaFeodorova, General Manager, Pilotov 32A,Aviagorrodok, St. Petersburg, Russia,[email protected], tel. +7 812 118 7591,fax +7 812 118 7591

S PA I NSwissport Spain S.A., Daniel Gut,President & CEO, C/Gran Via, 71-3a dcha.,28013 Madrid, Spain, [email protected],tel. +34 91 548 7631/32, fax +34 91 541 5955

T U R K E YHavas, Cüneyd Sen,General Manager, Prof. Nurettin Öktem Sk.No. 2, 80260 Sisli-Istanbul, Turkey,[email protected],tel. +90 212 233 2422, fax +90 212 2233 3853

U N I T E D K I N G D O MSwissport U.K. Ltd., Michael J. Maguire, CEO,Room 2411/Terminal 2, HeathrowAirport, TW61HG, Hounslow, Middlesex, UK,[email protected],tel. +44 20 8607 5550, fax +44 20 8283 9981

C O N TA C T S

I M P R E S S U M

Published by:Swissport International Ltd.

Publisher:Stephan Beerli, Executive VicePresident Marketing & Sales,Swissport International [email protected]

Editor:Richard [email protected]: +44 (0) 131 620 1174

Swissport coordinator:Nicole [email protected]

Contributors to this issue:Joseph In AlbonClaude BadanJohn BaizeStephan BeerliRoland BreitlerMartin BrüggerRoland EtterSilvia Fernández Da SilvaIrene GrellJo HarveyPhilip HillMaría Luz DoceDarren MayesHector MercedesRichard RoweBeat RuchtiPaul RunguMark SalatheKay SchwarzPatrick SheedyToralf SonntagHeath White

Translations:Paul Day

Layout and printing:DAZ, Druckerei Albisrieden Zürich

Subscriptions:For a free subscription, please sendyour full name and address to theSwissreporter Information Desk.

Changes of address:Please send details of any change ofaddress (by returning your mailinglabel with the changes clearly indi-cated) and any other correspond-ence regarding subscriptions to theSwissreporter Information Desk.

Printed in SwitzerlandCirculation 14,500

© 2003 Swissport InternationalLtd., Zürich-Airport, Switzerland

Swissreporter Information Desk:Phone: +41 1 812 4954Fax: +41 1 811 [email protected]

www.swissport.com

L AT I N A M E R I C ASwissport Brasil Ltda., Dieter Altenburger,EVP Division Latin America, Av. Vinte de Janeiros/n, Via de Servico – Rua T/103, Ilha do Gover-nador, RJ 21941-570, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,[email protected],tel. +55 21 3398 5934, fax +55 21 3398 5932

A R G E N T I N ASwissport Argentina S.A.Hugo Schreier, CEO, Intl. Airport Ezeiza,Ministro Pistarini, 1802 Ezeiza, Buenos Aires,Argentina, [email protected],tel. +54 11 5480 4433, fax +54 11 5480 4431

B R A Z I LSwissport Brasil Ltda., Lician de Mello,CEO, Av. Vinte de Janeiro s/n, 1º andar-Pista,Sala 1651A, Ilha do Governador, RJ 21941-970,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, [email protected],tel. +55 21 3398 5933, fax +55 21 3398 5932

C A R I B B E A NSwissport Cargo Services Aruba, GerhardGoselink, General Manager, Reina,Beatrix Airport, Cargo Building, Aruba,[email protected],tel. +599 9868 2244, fax +599 9562 9079

D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I CSwissport Dominicana, Omar J. Azar, CEO,Avenida Independencia 1811, Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic, [email protected],tel. +1 809 508 2230, fax +1 809 508 3233

H O N D U R A SSwissport GBH Honduras, Luis Calderon Curo,General Manager, Terminal de Aduana, Aero-puerto Internacional de Tocontin, Tegucigalpa,Honduras, [email protected],tel. +504 668 8880, fax +504 668 8884

M E X I C OSwissport de México S.A. de C.V., NorbertBielderman, President & CEO, Cpt. Carlos Leons/n, Edificio B, Nivel 2, Local 31 y 32, Intl. Air-port Mexico City,P.O. Box 39-290, MX-15621Mexico D.F., [email protected],tel. +52 55 2599 0290/91/92, fax +52 55 2599 0293

N E T H E R L A N D A N T I L L E SSwissport Cargo Services Curaçao, GerhardGoselink, General Manager, Reina,Beatrix Airport, Cargo Building, Aruba,[email protected],tel. +599 9868 2244, fax +599 9562 9079

P E R USwissport GBH Peru, Alfonso Garcia-Miro,Executive Director, Av. Elmer Faucett 4800Callao, Lima, Peru,[email protected],tel. +511 411 6800, fax +511 411 6820

V E N E Z U E L ASwissport Cargo Services Venezuela,Oscar Lehmann, General Manager, Ed. PascalTorre B Local 4B, Planta Baja, Av. RomuloGallegos, Santa Eduvigis Caracas, Venezuela,[email protected], tel. +58 212 285 4060,fax +58 212 285 8491

N O R T H A M E R I C ASwissport North America/USA Inc.,Erich Bodenmann, EVP Division North America,45025 Aviation Drive, Dulles, VA 20166, USA,[email protected],tel. +1 703 742 4301, fax +1 703 742 4321

Swissport Fueling, Thomas F. Comeau,President, 45025 Aviation Drive, Suite 350,Dulles, VA 20166-7557, USA,[email protected],tel. +1 703 742 4392, fax +1 703 742 4388

Swissport CFE, John Wilson,President, 4560 South Boulevard, Suite 202,Virginia Beach, VA 23452, USA,[email protected],tel. +1 757 490 2465, fax +1 757 490 2543

Hallmark Aviation Services, Philipp Huber,President, 5757 W. Century Blvd., Suite 860,Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA,[email protected],tel. +1 310 215 0701, fax +1 310 410 5362

C A N A D ASwissport Cargo Services Canada, Jack Keery,President, P.O. Box 86, Toronto AMF Ontario,CA L5P 1A2, [email protected],tel. +1 786 552 0095, fax +1 786 552 0093

* “Global Ground Handling Company of the Year”three times in a row.Accredited by the ITM Air Transport Committee.

For a professional service provider there is a mantra that drivesquality like no other: The best judge of value for money is the customer.So for Swissport the ultimate measure of success is customer satisfaction.Drawing on 40 years of international experience, we take a professional 360-degree view of our customers' interests, because ultimately thoseinterests are identical with our own. In the past it was our focus on customerneeds that led our transformation from ground handler to full-serviceprovider.Today that same focus shapes our portfolio of professional services.Becoming a one-stop source of ground handling, cargo, logistics, andexecutive aviation services is Swissport's professional response to evolvingcustomer needs. Swissport: real value for money.

To harness our professionalism, contact Ms. Nicole Schneider on +41 1 812 4954or [email protected]. Or visit www.swissport.com

Value for money – through professionalism.

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