Zurich, 2012-09-12 — /travelprnews.com/ — Swissport International, the world’s leading provider of ground services to the aviation sector, has completed its acquisition of Flightcare Spain and Flightcare Belgium from FCC Versia, significantly boosting Swissport’s European network of passenger and cargo handling operations.
The closing of the deal follows clearance from the various airport and regulatory authorities in Spain and Belgium, namely AENA and the Spanish Competition Commission Council, along with The Brussels Airport Company and Belgium’s Competition Council.
Both Spain and Belgium are attractive and important markets for Swissport International, and the acquisition of the Flightcare businesses in these countries, which combined handled more than 24 million passengers and 287,000 tonnes of cargo in 2011, employing around 3,000 people, considerably expands Swissport’s network in Spain and allows it to become a full-service provider in Belgium by adding ground handling services to its portfolio.
Swissport has been providing ground handling services in Spain since 2000, and will now benefit from the addition of Flightcare’s operations in Barcelona, Malaga, Fuerteventura, Valencia, Alicante, Jerez and Almeria. For Swissport Cargo, Spain is a new country to the division’s network, with Flightcare Spain bringing cargo operations in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia, Alicante and Almeria. In Belgium, Swissport already provides cargo handling services at Brussels, Liege, and Antwerp airports and will now be able to offer passenger ground handling services to clients at Brussels for the first time. The acquisition also represents a great opportunity for the cargo division to grow its business further.
Per H. Utnegaard, President & CEO of Swissport International, commented: “We are very pleased to conclude the acquisition of Flightcare’s great companies in Spain and Belgium, markets that offer tremendous potential to Swissport. These are excellent additions that perfectly complement Swissport’s existing activities in Spain and Belgium and will enable us to grow our business most effectively.”
“Flightcare has a very good reputation among customers and a strong operational performance, and we look forward to working with staff, other airport stakeholders and our customers to ensure a seamless transfer of the businesses, and to continue developing our services in Spain and Belgium by applying Swissport’s internationally recognised standards and processes.”
Swissport provides ground services for around 116 million passengers and 3.5 million tonnes of cargo a year (the latter using 105 warehouses with a total floor area of over 420,000 square metres) on behalf of some 650 client-companies in the aviation sector. With a workforce of around 39,000 personnel, Swissport is active at 195 stations in 38 countries on five continents, and generates consolidated operating revenue of approximately CHF 2.0 billion. www.swissport.com
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Swissport International completes Flightcare acquisition