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Swissport Geneva is delighted to report two major successes. The Geneva arm of the world’s leading provider of ground services to the aviation sector has had its operating licence extended for a further seven years to 2016 by airport authority AIG; and Swissport Geneva will also be jointly founding a new company named GVAssistance to offer special services at the airport, initially for a five-year period. Both licences were secured following open tender invitations, further underlining Swissport’s strong standing at this key airport location.
The awarding of operating licences is never a foregone conclusion, even for operators that have been established for years at the location concerned. In the dynamic and fiercely-contested aviation business, it takes a major effort to maintain (and preferably further expand) even an existing position. In view of this, Swissport Geneva is delighted to have obtained a seven-year extension of its present licence to provide the full range of passenger and cargo ground handling services at Geneva Airport, and to have done so against international competition.
In parallel to the new operating licence, Geneva airport authority AIG also invited tenders for a new "special services" business. Here, too, Swissport was awarded the five-year licence on offer, as the majority shareholder (together with a further business partner) in the winning submission. The new company, which will be called GVAssistance and will start operations with some 70 personnel, will focus on providing special assistance services for disabled travellers and unaccompanied minors. GVAssistance will draw its workforce from existing Geneva personnel, and is scheduled to commence operations on 1 November.
"We are extremely pleased with this double success," says Ernest Hochuli, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Swissport Geneva. "In awarding us these two long-term operating licences, Geneva Airport has not only underlined its confidence in our company; it has also, and above all, reasserted its faith in its own successful strategy of ensuring faultless ground services. I am delighted, too, for everyone at Swissport Geneva who helps us consistently deliver such top-quality services every day of their working lives."
Swissport Geneva has a workforce of 1 300 personnel and handles over 50 000 flights and 30 000 tonnes of cargo a year for 45 airline customers.
Swissport International Ltd., which is owned by Ferrovial, a leading global infrastructure and service corporation based in Spain, provides ground services for over 70 million passengers and 3.5 million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 650 client companies. With its workforce of around 33 000 personnel, Swissport is active at 173 airports in 38 countries on five continents, and generated consolidated operating revenue of CHF 1.9 billion (EUR 1.2 billion or USD 1.7 billion) last year.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
