Swissport International announces new COO
Guillaume Halleux has joined Swissport as Chief Commercial Officer, effective 18 September. In close collaboration with Swissport’s regional business leaders, he will maintain an open customer dialogue to build trust-based long-term partnerships with our airline clients and ensure expectations regarding operational excellence are met. Halleux will execute Swissport’s commercial agenda in developing existing and building […]
Swissport International AG appoints Ilse De Loof as general counsel and company secretary
De Loof will assume duties today and become a member of the company’s executive leadership team. She will join Swissport as general counsel and company secretary and become a member of the executive leadership team. She comes from Dutch LBC Tank Terminals Group, a global provider of logistics solutions. She will report to Warwick Brady, […]
New roles at Swissport for Steiner and Skinner
Swissport International has given new roles for Rudolf Steiner and Mark Skinner, starting from today (Friday 1 November). Steiner, formerly senior vice president and head of commercial EMEA will coordinate and manage the EMEA cargo business in the role of head of cargo EMEA. Before joining Swissport in 2008, he held positions at Swissair and […]
Frank Mesa replaces Dany Nasr at Swissport
Frank Mena has taken over as interim chief executive officer of Swissport Americas, replacing Dany Nasr with immediate effect. Nasr has left the company, having held various management positions and helped drive operational and commercial development in North America. Mena has spent most of his career in aviation, having joined Swissport as a general manager […]
Swissport to roll out self-service kiosks
Swissport is speeding up the airfreight handling process with self-service kiosks, which will be rolled out across the network within the next 24 months. The kiosks will reduce waiting times and increase the quality of documentation, which were initially rolled out at Brussels Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Hendrik Leyssens, vice president global operations cargo […]
Profits up but cargo volumes down for Swissport
Profits increase 7.2% at Swissport despite cargo volumes falling as global demand slowed and the French cargo handling business was sold. First half profits measured in operating EBITDA increased 7.2% to €121.9 million and revenue was up 6.1% to €1.4 billion. Swissport handled 2.23 million tonnes of airfreight in the first half of 2019 compared […]
Swissport plans acquisitions with refinanced debt
Swissport Group has refinanced debts worth €1.5 billion to repay existing debts, for organic growth and to make acquisitions. The refinancing includes €410 million of 5.25% senior secured notes, €250 million of 9% senior notes and a €850 million term loan B facility at EURIBOR plus 4.75%. The 5.25% senior secured notes will mature on […]
Eric Born delays departure from Swissport again
Eric Born has delayed his departure from Swissport for another year subject to successfully refinancing the company’s debts. The president and CEO of Swissport International was due to leave at the end of this year but subject to successful refinancing by 30 September 2019, he will stay until the end of 2020. He was initially […]
Swissport opens second Vienna airport warehouse
Swissport International has opened its second air cargo warehouse at Vienna International Airport, bringing its total space to 7,000 square metres. The Swissport operated facility, which has a surface area of 2,100 square metres, has direct airside access, allowing shipments to be transported to be transported to and from the aircraft much faster than before. […]
Swissport extends loan to HNA Group
Swissport has postponed collecting the remaining unpaid balance of its affiliate loan to HNA Group while the Chinese owner assesses options for the company. The Swiss handling agent received a partial payment of €83 million from HNA Group in May 2018 in partial satisfaction of HNA’s obligation under an outstanding affiliate loan. Swissport agreed to […]
Checkport gains IATA Independent ACC3 certificate
Swissport International subsidiary, Checkport has become the first and only Swiss company to obtain the IATA Independent ACC3 EU Validator certification. ACC3 stands for ‘Air Cargo or Mail Carrier operating into the Union from a Third Country Airport’, a designation required in order for carriers to fly cargo into or through the European Union, Switzerland, […]
Swissport adds Montreal to CEIV Pharma network
Swissport has added Montreal to its IATA CEIV Pharma certified network, making it the first cargo handler receive the award in Canada. The certified was awarded to Swissport Cargo Services Montreal at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport, guaranteeing airfreight customers the highest quality and temperature control standards for pharmaceutical products. Swissport International chief commercial officer, Nils […]
Swissport to streamline management structure
Swissport International will streamline its regional structure from nine management regions to three, reducing overhead costs and speed up decision making. The Europe, Middle East and Africa region will be managed by Luzius Wirth, executive vice president UK and Ireland and member of group executive management. Glenn Rutherford, who is in charge of Swissport in […]
Swissport handles strong first half cargo growth
Profits at Swissport were up 35.5 per cent in the first six months of 2018 with strong growth in both the cargo and ground services divisions. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was up to €116.3 million with revenue increasing 4.1 per cent to €1.4 billion. Cargo had a positive few months between […]
Eric Born to stay at Swissport for another year
Eric Born and HNA Group have agreed to extend Born’s contract as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Swissport International until 31 December 2019. He has been serving as president and CEO of the ground handling and air cargo service provider since August 2015. HNA Group CEO, Adam Tan says: “Given Eric’s outstanding leadership, […]
Eric Born to step down as Swissport president and CEO
Eric Born will step down as Group president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Swissport International at the end of December 2018. He has been in his role since August 2015, and Swissport says a successor will be announced in due course, and in the meantime Born will continue to perform his duties as group […]
Swissport Cargo Services Frankfurt awarded CEIV Pharma
Swissport Cargo Services Frankfurt – a subsidiary of Swissport International – has been awarded IATA CEIV Pharma certification at Frankfurt Airport. This certification Swissport says reflects its continued dedication to offer “excellent” life science & healthcare shipment handling services and will increase its contribution to the Pharma Gateway Frankfurt. Swissport says with the increasing flow […]
Stellar year for Swissport
Cargo handler Swissport International has had a stellar 2017 to date, David Craik writes. According to Claus Nickel, vice president for cargo in Europe responsible for Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Cyprus, tonnage volumes are 25-30 per cent above regional budgets. “Europe has performed very well. It is one of our best performing regions” […]
Swissport Cargo USA opens a new warehouse at Chicago O’Hare
Swissport Cargo USA opened a new state-of-the-art warehouse at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport on 20 July. The subsidiary of Swissport International says the 138,000-square foot warehouse is designed with a focus on customer needs as well as on safety and efficiency and includes the first automated material handling system in the region. A grand […]
Swissport The Netherlands awarded IATA CEIV Pharma
Swissport The Netherlands has been awarded the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) CEIV Pharma certificate at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The cargo handler says the certification reflects Swissport’s “dedication to offer excellent life science & healthcare shipment handling services” and will increase its contribution to the Pharma Gateway Amsterdam. The subsidiary of Swissport International says the […]
Knudsen appointed CCO of Swissport International
Swissport International has appointed Nils Pries Knudsen as chief commercial officer (CCO) – and he will take on the role on 1 October this year. The ground and cargo handling services firm says he will continue to directly report to Eric Born, Swissport’s president and chief executive officer. Knudsen joined Swissport in January 2009 and has since […]
Swissport and Graz Airport start new joint venture
Swissport International and Flughafen Graz Betriebs, the operator of Austrian airport Graz – started a new cargo services joint venture on 1 February. Swissport Cargo Services Graz will see Swissport holding 51 per cent and Graz Airport 49 per cent, and will initially have 12 employees providing extensive cargo services. It is expected to handle about 10,000 tonnes […]