Swissport acquires ground handling activities of Finland’s Inter Handling

Zurich, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Swissport International, the world’s leading provider of ground services to the aviation sector, has acquired Finnish ground handling company Inter Handling and sister company Inter Handling Turku, to accelerate the group’s expansion in this important and promising market.

Inter Handling offers ground handling services at various airports in Finland, including its biggest operation in Helsinki Vantaa, providing a perfect addition to Swissport’s recently established Finnish operation and allowing the company to rapidly and efficiently build its network and service portfolio in Finland.

Swissport established its operations in Finland on 1st December 2011, providing baggage and apron services for Finnair at its Helsinki Airport hub. The addition of Inter Handling’s ground services operations is in line with Swissport’s strategy to strengthen its Finnish footprint and attract further customers through offering the full range of ground handling services and network deals.

Juan Jose Andres Alvez, Swissport’s Executive Vice President of Ground Handling for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa, commented: “Inter Handling has a good reputation among customers, experienced management, and strong operational performance, making it a valuable addition to Swissport’s network. The acquisition will enable us to further improve efficiencies in our operations, add passenger handling services to our Finnish portfolio and add further stations to our network, allowing us to offer airline customers a full service portfolio in Finland and providing additional services for Inter Handling’s existing customers.

We are very pleased to welcome Inter Handling’s ground handling operations into the Swissport Group, and we will work closely with customers, stakeholders, employees and their representatives to ensure a seamless transfer of the businesses and operations.”

With combined annual revenues of around €7.5 million, the two acquired companies handled more than 19,000 flights in 2011.

Swissport International Ltd provides ground services for around 108 million passengers and 3.2 million tonnes of cargo a year (the latter using 98 warehouses with a total floor area of over 350,000 square metres) on behalf of some 650 client-companies in the aviation sector. With a workforce of around 35,000 personnel, Swissport is active at 187 stations in 38 countries on five continents, and generated consolidated operating revenue of CHF 1.7 billion in 2011. www.swissport.com

Corporate Communications

Bernd Maresch

Mailing Address:
Swissport International Ltd.
Corporate Communications
P.O. Box
CH-8058 Zurich-Airport

bernd.maresch@swissport.com