International customer journal Swissport International Ltd., Issue 15, July 2005 The ground handling sector and its airline customers agree: value for money and top service quality are two key ingredients in the success of any business. But just as crucial in many respects is effective cus- tomer relationship management, or CRM. Of course, this is nothing new to Swissport, but it is current- ly being intensified in some very interesting ways. Ask airline procurement officers how they choose their ground han- dling provider and they will not search long for the answers: price, performance, quality, service range, innovation, transparency, flexibility and, maybe, simplified processes and hassle-free accounting. Voilà. The fact that effective relationship management and its various compo- nents, such as reliability, credibility and continuity, are equally vital to a part- nership’s success is often overlooked. Yet good relations are as essential as ever. The short-term opportun- ist approach may reap some quick rewards, but it will never provide a relationship with the kind of confi- dence and trust that can be so benefi- cial over the longer term. Jointly evaluating, analysing, devel- oping and implementing may sound like more work. But both sides tend to agree that, in the longer term, it is a far more satisfactory approach and a far more productive one, too. And this is exactly what Swissport aims to intensify in future, so further devel- oping the dialogue with its airline customers. To do so, Swissport’s sales organi- sation has created “myport – tailor made solutions”, a programme that is designed to address its airline custom- ers’ needs more individually, compre- hensively and flexibly than ever. Whether it is a total outsourcing approach à la SWISS, a frame agree- ment such as with Air France or Swiss WorldCargo, a network deal as per KLM or a regional package of the GOL kind, Swissport will be placing a clear and consistent emphasis on dialogue. This means we will be listening, understanding and accommodating to turn a business relationship into a genuine partnership that offers maximum value to both parties involved. We look forward to talking with you. Stephan Beerli From relationships to partnerships FRAME AGREEMENTS CONTRACTUAL MODELS Swissport’s recent signing of major new collaboration frameworks with Swiss WorldCargo and Air France highlight the growing trend of local ground handling agreements being replaced by longer-term contractual models. 4–5 CHECKING IN PASSENGER POWER Like the wider air transport industry it- self, Swissport is using technology to improve the passenger experience. Swissreporter provides an update on these important developments. 8 –11 CARE CONCEPT CRISIS PREPARATION Aware of its inherent exposure to emergency situations, Swissport has developed a new Corporate Crisis Management Policy to be implement- ed at all stations worldwide. 17 INTERVIEW RAM MENEN Ram Menen, Senior Vice President Cargo at Emirates Airlines, has spear- headed not only his own carrier’s rapid development, but also champi- oned the wider role of air cargo. 18 –19 Just awarded Global Ground Handling Company of the Year
Transcript
International customer journal
Swissport International Ltd., Issue 15, July 2005
The ground handling sector and its airline customers agree: value for money and top service quality are two key ingredients in the success of any business. But just as crucial in many respects is effective cus-tomer relationship management, or CRM. Of course, this is nothing new to Swissport, but it is current-ly being intensifi ed in some very interesting ways.
Ask airline procurement offi cers how they choose their ground han-dling provider and they will not search long for the answers: price, performance, quality, service range, innovation, transparency, fl exibility and, maybe, simplifi ed processes and hassle-free accounting. Voilà.
The fact that effective relationship management and its various compo-nents, such as reliability, credibility and
continuity, are equally vital to a part-nership’s success is often overlooked.
Yet good relations are as essential as ever. The short-term opportun-ist approach may reap some quick rewards, but it will never provide a relationship with the kind of confi -dence and trust that can be so benefi -cial over the longer term.
Jointly evaluating, analysing, devel-oping and implementing may sound like more work. But both sides tend to agree that, in the longer term, it is a far more satisfactory approach and a far more productive one, too. And this is exactly what Swissport aims to intensify in future, so further devel-oping the dialogue with its airline customers.
To do so, Swissport’s sales organi-sation has created “myport – tailor
made solutions”, a programme that is designed to address its airline custom-ers’ needs more individually, compre-hensively and fl exibly than ever.
Whether it is a total outsourcing approach à la SWISS, a frame agree-ment such as with Air France or Swiss WorldCargo, a network deal as per KLM or a regional package of the GOL kind, Swissport will be placing a clear and consistent emphasis on dialogue.
This means we will be listening, understanding and accommodating to turn a business relationship into a genuine partnership that offers maximum value to both parties involved.
We look forward to talking with you.
Stephan Beerli
From relationships to partnerships
F R A M E A G R E E M E N T S
C O N T R A C T U A L M O D E L SSwissport’s recent signing of major new collaboration frameworks with Swiss WorldCargo and Air France highlight the growing trend of local ground handling agreements being replaced by longer-term contractual models.
4 – 5
C H E C K I N G I N
P A S S E N G E R P O W E RLike the wider air transport industry it-self, Swissport is using technology to improve the passenger experience. Swissreporter provides an update on these important developments.
8 –11
C A R E C O N C E P T
C R I S I S P R E P A R A T I O NAware of its inherent exposure to emergency situations, Swissport has developed a new Corporate Crisis Management Policy to be implement-ed at all stations worldwide.
17
I N T E R V I E W
R A M M E N E NRam Menen, Senior Vice President Cargo at Emirates Airlines, has spear-headed not only his own carrier’s rapid development, but also champi-oned the wider role of air cargo.
18 –19
Just awarded
Global Ground Handling Company of the Year
We’re flattered that the Institute of Transport Management awarded us thetitle “Global Ground Handling Company of the Year” for the fifth time in a row. And because the accreditation is based on real-world surveys,we know that we owe this commendation to all the airlines we have theprivilege of serving. We thank you all for making it happen again.
At the same time, we owe this award to the over 21,000 women and men who constitute the global Swissport family. At 174 airports in 40countries around the world, it is their loyalty, dedication, and commitmentthat makes us strong, innovative, and competitive. We thank you all formaking it happen again, too.
Ada Air + ADC Airways + AdriaAirways + Adriyatik Tasimacilik Dis Tic. Ltd. + Aegean Airlines S.A. + Aegean Aviation + Aer Lingus + Aero Charter + Aero Condor S.A. + Aero Continente S.A. + AeroFlight + Aero Lloyd + Aero Zambia + Aerocaribbean + Aeroceltic + Aerocharter de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. + Aeroflot + Aerogaviota + Aerolineas Argentinas + AeromarAirlines + Aeromexico + Aeromexpress + Aeropostal + Aeroservice + Aerosur + Aerosvit Airlines + Africa West + African Aviation + Afriqiyah Airways + AfricanInternational Airways + Air 2000 LTD + Air Ailes + Air Alfa + Air Algerie + Air Alps Aviation + Air Asia + Air Astana + Air Atlanta Icelandic + Air Austral + Air BalticCooperation + Air Berlin + Air Bosna + Air Cairo + Air Canada + Air Cargo Inc. + Air Cargo Trader + Air Charter AG + Air China + Eurasia Air Cargo Ltd. + Air China Intl +
Air Company Domodedovo + Air Direct + Air Dolomiti SpA - L.A.R.E. + Air Europa + Air France + Air Gabon + Air Holland + Air India + Air Italy SpA + Air Jamaica + AirJet + Air Lithuania + Air Littoral + Air Luxor + Air Macau + Air Madrid + Air Madagascar + Air Malta Ltd. + Air Malawi Ltd + Air Mauritius + Air Méditerranée + Air Miles +
Air Moldova + Air Nauru + Air New Zealand Limited + Air Niugini + Air Nostrum + Air One + Air Pacific + Air Plus Comet + Air Routing + Air Security + Air Seychelles +
Air Sofia + Air Srpska + Air Tahiti Nui + Air Tanzania + Air Transat + Air Ukraine + Air Zimbabwe + Airborne Express + AirBridgeCargo + Aircargo Logistics International+ Airlinair + AirMar Transportes Internacionales + Airtours International Airways + AirTran + Alaska Airlines + Albanian Airlines + Alitalia + All Nippon Airways + AllianceAir + Alloy Aircraft Company Ltd + ALM Antillean Airlines + Aloha Airlines + Alpi Eagles, SpA + America West + American Airlines + American Trans Air, Inc. + AmerijetInternational Inc. + Amiri Flight + Anatolia + Anglo American + Antares Airtransport + Antinea Airlines + Arab Air Carrier Organization + ARAVCO Ltd + Ariana AfghanAirlines + Arina Airlines Ltd. + Arkia Israeli Airlines Ltd + Armenian Airlines + Arrow Air + ASB Air Ltd. + Asiana Airlines + ASM + Astra Associated Services + AstraeusLtd + Astral Aviation Ltd. + ATA + ATCL + Atlantic Air System + Atlantic Pacific Airline Associates Inc. + Atlas Air, Inc. + Augsburg Airways GmbH + Aurigny Air Services+ Australian Airlines + Austrian Airlines + Astral Aviation + AVANTI AIR GmbH & Co. KG + Avensa + Aviacsa + Avianca Airlines + Aviogenex + Avioimpex + AvMax GroupInc + Axis Airways + Azzurra Air + Bannert Air GmbH + Baron Air Cargo + Baseops International Inc. + BASF Leasing AG + Bax Global + Belair + Belavia- BelarussianAirlines + Biman Bangladesh Airlines + Birgma Sweden AB + B-Jet SA + Blue Panorama Airlines + Blue Wings AG + Blue1 + BonairExel + Bombardier Aerospace Corp.+ Bosphorus European Airways + BP America + BRA Transportes Aéreos + Braathens, AS + BRA-Brasil Rodo Aereo + Brinks Global Inc. + Brit'Air + Britannia AirwaysAB + British Airways + British Mediterranean Airways + British Midland + Bulgaria Air + Burlington Air Express, Inc. + Buzz + BWIA + C.A.I Cargo Airlines + CameroonAirlines + Canadian Airlines Int'L Ltd + Cape Air + Capitol International + Cargo Airlines Ltd + Cargologic + Cargolux + Carpatair + Casino Express + Casio Air Tours +
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. + Catran AG + Challenge Air + Channel Express + Chapman Freeborn Airmarketing Ltd + China Airlines + China Cargo Airlines + ChinaEastern Airlines + China Southern Airlines + Cielos Airlines Luxembourg + Cielos del Peru + Ciernes Overseas Inc + Cigna Corp. + Cimber Air + Cirrus Airlines + City Air+ Clasquin + Club Airways + CNA International + Comfort Air GmbH + Compagnie Aerienne Corse Mediterranée + Condor Flugdienst + Congo Airlines + ConsultoresMaca, S.A. de C.V. + Continental Airlines + Continental Micronesia Inc + COPA + Corsair + Coyne Airways + Cresta Tours + Croatia Airlines + Cronus Airlines +
CrossRacer/SAA Cargo + CSA - Czech Airlines + Cubana de Aviacion + Cukurova Aviation + Cyprus Airways + Daallo Airlines + Daher International + DaimlerChryslerAviation GmbH + DAS Air Ltd. + Delta Air Lines + Demavia + Denim Air + dba + DHL + Dinar Lineas Aéreas, S.A. + Dniproavia + Dragonair + Dubai Air Wing + DublinAirport + Duo Airways LTD + Dutch Caribbean Airline + DutchBird + Eagle Air Ltd + East African Air + easyJet + Edelweiss Air AG + Egypt Air + EL AL Israel Airlines +
Euralair + EuroAir + Eurocypria Airlines Ltd. + Eurofly + Eurojet Airline SAS + Europe Airpost + Europe Continental Airways S.A + European Air Express (E.A.E) +
European Aircharter Ltd + European Air Transport + Eurowings + EVA Airways + Evergreen International Airlines, Inc + Excellent Air Int'l BV + Exel Aviation Group +
Expeditors Canada Inc. + FAI Airservice AG + Falcon Air Express, Inc + Federal Express + Fine Air + Finnair + First Choice Airways Limited + Fischer Air + FlightManagement Corporation + flightserve.com + FLY S.A. - Linhas Aéreas + Flyair + Flybaboo SA + Flybe + FLYTRANS + Frans Maas + Freebird Airlines + Frontier + FuturaInternational Airways + G-5 Executive AG + Gandalf Airlines + Garuda Indonesia + GB Airways Ltd. + Gemini Air Cargo, Inc. + Géodis Overseas + Geologistics + Germania+ Germanwings + Ghana Airways + Girjet + Global Jet Concept SA + Globe Air Cargo System + GO Fly Ltd. + GOL Linhas Aéreas + Gold Air + Golde Jet + Goldeck-FlugGmbH + Gözen Air Services + Graff Aviation Ltd + Grupo TACA + Gulf Air + Hadid + Hahn Air Lines GmbH + Hapag Lloyd + Hawaiian Air + Heli Air Services + HeliosAirways Ltd + Hellas Jet S.A. + Helvetic Airways + Hemus Air + Hola Airlines + Horizon + Hydro Air + IACA + Iberia + Iberworld Airlines S.A. + ICC Air Cargo Canada +
Icelandair + Imair Airlines + Indian Airlines Ltd + Intensive Air, (Pty) Ltd + Inter Air + Inter Airlines + International JetClub Limited + InterSky Luftfahrt Gmbh + Ion TiriacAir + Iran Air + J C Bamford (Excavators) Ltd + Japan Airlines International + JAT Jugoslav Airlines + Jet 2000 Business Jets + Jet Aviation Handling AG + Jet Flite OY+ Jet Link + Jetalliance Flugbetriebs AG + Jetclub AG + Kalitta Air + Kalitta Air LLC + Kales Airline Services GmbH + Kangra Aviation + Kenya Airways + Kibris Türk HavaYollari + KLM - Royal Dutch Airlines + KLM Cityhopper B.V. + KLM UK + Korean Air + Kras Air + KTHY - Kibris Türk Hava Yollari + Kuehne & Nagel + Kuwait Airways +
Kuzu Air + Kyrghyzstan Airlines + Lacsa + LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique + Lan Chile + Lapa + Leisure Cargo GmbH + Liat + Libyan Arab Airlines + Lineas AereasAllegro, S.A. De C.V. + Lions Air AG + Lithuanian Airlines + Lloyd Aereo Boliviano + Loganair + LOGFRET + Logimpex + LOT - Polish Airlines + LTU + Lufhansa + Luxair+ Macedonian Airlines + Maersk Air A/S + Malaysia Airlines + Malev - Hungarian Airlines + Malmö Aviation + Martinair Cargo + Martinair Holland + MAS Air Cargo +
MAT Macedonian Airlines + Maxjet + MEA Middle East Airlines Air Liban + Meridiana Airways + Mesaba Aviation + Metropolis + Mexicana + Mexico Global Airlines +
Miami Air + Middle East Airlines + MK Airlines Ltd + MNG Cargo Airlines + Moldavian Airlines + Monarch Airlines + Montenegro Airlines + Morgan Stanley + MorroVermelho Taxi Aereo + MP Cargo + Mytravel Airways A/S + National Airlines, Inc. + Nationwide Air + NetJets + Nippon Cargo + Nomad Aviation (Pty) Ltd + Nordic AirlinkAB + North American Airlines, Inc. + North Flying A/S + Northwest Airlines + Nouvelair Tunisie + Nouvelle Air Ivoire + Novair + Ocean Airlines + Oceanair Linhas AéreasLtda + Öger Turk Tur + Olympic Airlines + Oman Air + Omni Air International + Omskavia Airlines + Onur Air + Pakistan International Airlines + Palestinian Airlines + PBair+ Pegasus + Penta Transportes Aéreos + PGA Portugalia Airlines + Philippine Airlines + Phuket Air + Polar Air Cargo + Precision Air + Privat Air SA + PSA Airlines, Inc +
Pulkovo Aviation + Qantas Airways Ltd + Qatar Airways + Rabbit Air Ltd. + RampSnake A/S + RAS Flug + Rega/Swiss Air Ambulance + Regional Air + Régional,Compagnie Aérienne Européenne + Regional-Air-Express + Romavia + Roussel International + Royal Air Force + Royal Air Maroc + Royal Brunei Airlines + Royal JetGroup + Royal Jordanian + Royal Wings + Ryanair + SA Alliance Air + Saga Airlines + Samara Airlines + Saratov Airlines + Sata Internacional + Saudi Arabian Airlines +
Scandinavian Airlines System + Schreiner Airways + Shadong Airlines + Servair + Siberia Airlines + Sierra National Airlines + Sigair Ltd + Singapore Airlines +
SKY Airlines + SkyEurope Airlines a.s. + Skymaster + Skyservice Airlines + Skywest Airlines + SN Brussels Airlines + Snowflake SAS + SNTC + Sony Europe GmbH +
South African Airways + Southeast Airlines + Southern Air, Inc + Southwest Airlines + Spanair S.A. + SR Technics Switzerland + SriLankan Airlines + Star Airlines +
Sterling European + Styrian Airways AG + Sudan Airways + Sun Country Airlines + Sun-Air of Scandinavia A/S + SunExpress + Sunworld International Airlines, Inc. +
SweFly + Surinam Airways + Swiss Eagle Ltd + Swiss International Air Lines + Syrian Arab Airlines + Syrianair + Taag + TACA International Airlines SA + Taino AirlinesS.A. + Tajikistan Airlines + TAM Lineas Aéreas S.A. + Tampa Airlines + Tanzanian Airways + TAP - Air Portugal + Tarom + Taunus Air + TCI + Thai Airways International +
The Air Group, Inc. + Thomas Cook Airlines + THY (Turkish Airlines) + TMA of Lebanon + TNT + TRAFICTIR + Trans Mediterranean Airways + Trans World Airlines +
TransAer + Transair International + Transavia Airlines C.V. + Transbrasil Linhas Aereas + Transcap + Transjet Airways + Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde + Tunisair+ Turkish Airlines + Turkmenistan Airlines + TwinJet Aircraft + Tyrolean Airways + Tyrolean Jet Services + US Airways + Ukraine International Airlines + Union Transportof Canada Ltd. + United Airlines + United Arabian Airlines + United Nations + United Parcel Services + Universal Aviation (UK) Ltd. + Ural Airlines + US Airways +
Westjet Airlines Ltd. + Windjet + WIZZ Air Hungary Limited + World Airways+ World Focus Airlines + Yemenia + Yes Aéreas Charter + ZanAir + Zoom
A thank-you message from Swissport to:
You made it happen again.
So did 21,000 hearts & minds.Swissport was named
Global Ground Handling Company of the Year five times in a row by the ITM.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 3
Making it happenConsolidation in the airline sector – or, more precisely, the impact this will have on our industry – has come in for increasing discussion over recent months. The trend has proved to be far more than a passing fad: it is actu-ally happening, and is here to stay. Air France/KLM and Lufthansa/SWISS are just the beginning. More mergers are sure to follow.
Our industry is also seeing major shifts in the ground handling business. The local, individual and even personal contact-based deals of a few years ago are increasingly being superseded by regional and even system-wide ground handling packages. Having gained our own initial experience of such arrangements – with GOL in Brazil, United Cargo in the US, KLM world-wide and SWISS’s total outsourcing, among others – we are delighted that
Air France and Swiss WorldCargo have now also decided to cooperate closer with us through a global frame agreement. Both are convinced that their handling needs can be met more cost-effectively, but to the same high standard, by entrusting these activi-ties to Swissport’s care.
Air France and Swiss WorldCargo’s decision not only confi rms to us that we are on the right strategic track. It is also a tribute to the professional-ism and performance of the Swiss-port crew, which was able to offer a ground services solution tailored spe-cifi cally to our customers’ particular wishes and needs. And we are greatly looking forward to assuming these responsibilities, secure in the knowl-edge that the partnership we plan will not only reap fi nancial rewards; it will also offer substantial strategic
and operational benefi ts to both car-rier and handler in the longer term. ‘Making it happen’ – putting ideas into action – has been one of our prime concerns in further simplifying our check-in procedures, too. By con-cluding our global agreement with SITA (see pages 10–11), we can now not only develop a new and highly compatible generation of self-service devices, but also put them into effec-tive day-to-day operation. And that, in turn, means we can better meet passengers’ growing check-in needs (in terms of the speed and the sim-plicity they desire) and, at the same time, further lower the cost of these services to the airlines they fl y with.
Swissport will continue to make the most of the latest technologies and seek further innovative solutions for
the benefi t of its airline customers. We thank all our business partners for the collaboration enjoyed with them to date – and we look forward to continuing to work with you all to help shape and refi ne tomorrow’s ground handling world.
Let’s make it happen!
F R O M T H E T O P
Swissport heads for Winged CitySwissport’s presence in Asia stepped up another gear in May with the acquisition of a major shareholding in the GlobeGround Korea handling operation at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport.
First came Manila, then Singapore and now Seoul’s Incheon Interna-tional Airport. Swissport’s inten-tion to extend its network to major gateways across Asia is no idle boast. With the acquisition of the Globe-Ground Korea operation from its
former shareholders, Swissport has entered its third major airport in the region, and its fi rst in northeast Asia.
The company, now known as Swiss-port Korea, will employ around 160 personnel and offer a full range of tailored ground handling services from 1 July. This includes the bring-ing on stream of a new 6,600-square-metre cargo terminal.
A fascinating country, Korea mixes the ancient with the ultra-modern and
currently enjoys one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It is also determined to become a focal point for commerce in northeast Asia.
Similarly, since fi rst opening in 2001, Seoul Incheon – dubbed the Winged City – has stamped its mark on the region. In 2004, the airport handled 24 million passengers, 2.5 million tones of cargo and 150,000 fl ights.
The operation acquired by Swissport covers around 2,000 fl ights per year and includes the business of pre-mier carriers such as Lufthansa and Cathay Pacifi c. Swissport will now operate as one of three ground han-dlers at the airport.
According to JW Kim, CEO, Swiss-port Korea, the challenge now is to offer carriers outstanding service reli-ability at all Swissport destinations. “International airlines are keen to see ground handling partners extend their services to as many of their des-tinations as possible,” he says. “We
offer a single focused entity, with one clear voice and commitment to pro-vide the best quality of service.”
The acquisition also makes sound business sense for the Swissport Group as it looks to further develop its presence in rapidly developing Asian markets.
Dr. Ludwig Bertsch
M A R K E T
J O S E P H I N A L B O N
President and CEOSwissport International Ltd
C O N T A C T
JB Lee, General ManagerSwissport Korea Ltd.2068 Passenger Terminal Incheon International Airport 2851 Woonseo-dong, Jung-gu Incheon, 400-340 Korea Phone: +82 32 743 25 33 Fax: +82 32 743 25 [email protected] photo: KAL
4 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
F R A M E A G R E E M E N T S
Deepening the relationship
Swissport has intensifi ed its col-laboration with Swiss World-Cargo following the signing of a global partnership agreement that extends the relationship to 25 stations and 200,000 tonnes of cargo per year.
The new fi ve-year agreement bet- ween Swissport and Swiss World-Cargo is a hugely important step for both organisations. It also offers clear evidence of the direction in which collaborations between airlines and their ground handlers are now devel-oping. It is a trend that sees local agreements being replaced by closer and more extensive partnerships and longer-term contractual models.
In this respect, the new global frame agreement between Swissport and Swiss WorldCargo sets a further benchmark for the rapidly evolving aviation sector. And it is an accord that is expected to extend to addi-tional Swiss WorldCargo destinations at a later stage.
Swissreporter spoke with Oliver Evans, Chief Cargo Offi cer at Swiss WorldCargo, to learn more.
Swissreporter: What is the most chal-lenging task currently facing Swiss WorldCargo?
Oliver Evans: Swiss WorldCargo (SWC) currently enjoys load factors close to 90% and yields that are the envy of our competitors. Our chal-lenge is to improve results further against the background of a diffi cult economic environment. We can only do this through close cooperation between sales, revenue management, product development and all suppli-ers, including ground handlers.
What are the key success factors for obtaining a perfect ground handling service?
Clear defi nition of quality standards – and strict, reliable adherence to them – plus lean production and cost effi ciency. Also, striving to surprise the airline and its customer with excellence of service as loyalty and future support depend on each and every shipment.
Why did you select Swissport as your preferred partner on the ground?
There are many reasons: Swissport’s global and growing network; the use of global systems and standards; strong global ties and centralised
account management; plus good local execution and attention to detail. Our traditional relationship also means that Swissport has a good knowledge of SWC standards and requirements.
And then there are the substantial cost and effi ciency savings; trans-
parency of key drivers and accept-ance of benchmarking; commitment to future effi ciency gains; plus, of course, a mutual respect and under-standing.
Is this new purchasing model just an isolated event, or does it represent the future for the industry?
Purchasing is becoming much more professional and sophisticated in all industries. This may be one of the fi rst examples of this type of agreement in our industry, but its advantages are obvious and others will undoubtedly follow.
Could you also imagine moving one step further by outsourcing or sub-contracting certain services?
SWC has already outsourced many functions and is today essentially a sales and marketing organisation. Sales is very much a core compe-tence and we envisage keeping this in our own hands to maintain our competitive edge. However, we have been and remain open to any sugges-tions for further improvement of our business results. Stephan [email protected]
“Purchasing is becoming much more professional and
sophisticated in all industries.” Oliver Evans
A B O U T S W I S S W O R L D C A R G O
■ Swiss WorldCargo is the cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines■ The carrier’s global network covers 150 destinations in more than 80 countries■ Swiss WorldCargo’s range of airfreight products and services creates
added value for customers and contributes signifi cantly to the carrier’s bottom line.
Dr Ludwig Bertsch and Oliver Evans
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 5
F R A M E A G R E E M E N T S
Air France joins the clubFollowing the extended collabo-ration with Swiss WorldCargo, Swissport has also concluded a four-year ground handling agree-ment with Air France. Initially, the deal covers 11 airports, but will be extended to further destina-tions in the future.
And so the trend continues. Follow-ing hard on the heels of the arrange-ment with Swiss WorldCargo – not to mention earlier collaborations with SWISS and KLM signed in 2004 – Swissport has also announced a new global frame agreement with another industry heavyweight: Air France. Swissport has successfully created closer ties with an important cus-tomer while also enhancing its pro-ductivity at various airports and the prospect of securing long-term rev-enue fl ows.
But why has Air France gone down this route? Swissreporter put the same questions to the airline’s Head of Purchasing, Denis Hasdenteufel.
Swissreporter: What is the most challenging task currently facing Air France?
Denis Hasdenteufel: One of the most important tasks in the ground han-dling business is to align our efforts with that of KLM, including select-ing the same providers with the same SLAs and pricing conditions.
What are the key success factors for obtaining a perfect ground handling service?
First of all, the exact evaluation of the needs is fundamental. Further on, we focus more on the targets and results to be achieved and less on how the provider is doing it techni-cally. It is important for us that a provider meets our expectations and quality standards and does so in an innovative way, for instance through the development of e-services. We must never forget that the passenger
has the fi nal say and expects a certain consistency globally. This is why we believe that a global company has an advantage here.
Another key success factor is the implementation of short and/or medium-term contracts as it allows the provider to plan investments over a certain period of time.
Why did you select Swissport as your preferred partner on the ground?
The new global frame agreement means that Swissport has become a preferred partner, but not the only one. This agreement has been made possible by the joint and common efforts with KLM and the positive experience that KLM has already had with Swissport.
It is also a good opportunity to make use of an international network with a stable, well-known and reliable
partner in the global ground han-dling business – and one with good future perspectives.
Is this new purchasing model just an isolated event, or does it represent the future for the industry?
It is a new approach, but certainly not the only successful one. We already have such collaboration models in
place elsewhere, but it is diffi cult to sign such an agreement with more than two players at the same time. In future, perhaps members of an alli-ance group will come closer together by selecting one preferred ground handling partner, but in this context one thing is for sure: we would still need more competition at certain airports and more partnerships on a global level.
Could you also imagine moving one step further by outsourcing or sub-contracting certain services?
Certain services can be subcontract-ed or outsourced. In the case of Air
France, I’m thinking about ticketing, plus station and lounge management. In this domain, we still can learn and realise a lot with our partner KLM. But insourcing also remains a pos-sibility in our industry. We can only think about outsourcing and other forms of subcontracting if we can really count on the standards and quality of a ground handler in line with our overall image and reputa-tion. I believe that Swissport is able, and has the capacity and structure, to tackle such demanding require-ments.
“It is important for us that a provider meets our expectations…
and does so in an innovative way.“Denis Hasdenteufel
A B O U T A I R F R A N C E
■ Air France is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group – the world’s leading airline group by turnover ■ Air France’s fl eet of more than 370 aircraft operates 1,800 fl ights per day to 200 destinations in 88 countries■ Air France is a founder member of the SkyTeam Alliance.
DenisHasdenteufel
6 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
N E T W O R K
Greek treat for SwissportSwissport now has a presence at the top fi ve airports in Greece fol-lowing a successful bid in an inter-national tender by franchise part-ner Swissport Hellas Sud for new handling licences on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
Historically, the provision of ground handling services at all Greek island airports – Heraklion in Crete except-ed – has been the sole preserve of the national carrier, Olympic Airways. However, scheduled and charter car-riers alike have been highly critical of such a handling monopoly. In par-ticular, they have long complained about charges that are among the most expensive in Europe, but with service standards that fall way short of expectations.
There have been talks about open-ing up the handling market on the islands for several years, but with no end result. That is, until recently. In April, the Greek Civil Aviation Authority announced that Swissport Hellas Sud had been successful in its
bid for full ground handling licences at the airports of Rhodes and Corfu – two of the most beautiful and pop-ular Greek islands for tourism. The announcement is not only a major breakthrough for Swissport, but also for the wider ground handling indus-try. The addition of handling operations at Rhodes and Corfu join Swissport’s existing stations at Athens, Thessalo-niki and Heraklion – between them the top fi ve airports in the country.
“These two important island airports will give us an even stronger pres-ence in Greece,” comments Ioannis Grylos, Vice Chairman of the Board,
Swissport Hellas Sud. “It should help us further increase our share of the Greek ground handling market.”
But what kind of airports are the new additions? Both are dominated by tourism related travel. Rhodes Airport is served by 70 airlines and handles more than three million pas-sengers and 30,000 fl ights per year. Corfu, meanwhile, sees service from 60 airlines, which account for 13,000 fl ights per year and around two mil-lion passengers.
Both operations commenced in mid-May, including executive aviation handling services. As such, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparatory work, including staff recruitment and training and equip-ment order and delivery.
In addition, close contacts have been established with key charter carri-ers to ensure that a variety of han-dling agreements are concluded in good time for the busy summer sea-son. Some of the clients that will be served on the two islands this sum-mer include Thomas Cook (UK and Belgium), Condor, LTU, Eurocypria and Viking.
These airlines join a long list of pres-tigious charter and scheduled carri-ers that already recognise Swissport’s quality and reliability in the Greek market.
And the omens for 2005 traffi c are good, with an estimated 30,000 fl ights
plus for Rhodes and more than 15,000 fl ights expected for Corfu. This trans-lates to more than 5.2 million passen-gers across the two islands – a mini-mum growth of 15%.
Although these fi gures are healthy, a recent statement by the Greek Tour-ism Development Minister, Dimitris Avramopoulos, suggests that 2005 will be a year of stabilisation and rebound for Greek tourism. As such, even more sizeable improvement is expected for 2006 and 2007 when the results of the current policy and pro-motion campaign become tangible. For instance, Greece has invested more than €60 million in its overseas tourism promotion during the last 12 months. The Swissport family welcomes its new members and celebrates this piece of genuine ground handling history. Everything is now in place for a successful and exciting start-up at both Rhodes and Corfu – two island airports where Swissport is committed to carrying on the good work and strong reputation already forged elsewhere in Greece.
Georges Peter
“These two important island airports will give us an even stronger
presence in Greece.” Ioannis Grylos
C O N T A C T
Georges PeterGeneral Manager, Swissport Hellas SudPhone +30 281 0336 970 Mobile +30 694 7949 269 [email protected]
Corfu (left) and Rhodes are two of the most popular Greek islands for tourism (photos: ANA / GNTO)
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 7
T E C H N O L O G Y
CargoSpot roll out beginsSwissport has begun the roll out of a new software platform for automating its worldwide cargo handling activities. This implemen-tation is one of the most important steps for Swissport Cargo Services as it seeks to optimise operations and further improve quality and customer service.
The decision by Swissport to imple-ment a new, off-the-shelf software platform for cargo handling opera-tions was not taken lightly. It is a thought process that dates back to summer 2003 when it was fi rst felt that Cascade, the existing in-house developed system, was no longer suffi cient to meet the sophisticated demands of a growing customer base.
Although Cascade had served Swiss-port well over the years, all agreed it was time to adapt to new technolo-gies rather than persevere with an older system. Following evaluation of several different solutions by an expert technical and operational user group, it was decided that the CargoSpot handling application – a proven product developed by Zürich-based Softair – was the best fi t for today’s cargo handling envi-ronment.
The Swissport evaluation team were impressed by the functional breadth of the overall suite of CargoSpot products, which cover the full range of air cargo automation processes. They also recognised CargoSpot as a powerful tool for supporting seam-less collaboration with different busi-
ness partners throughout the supply chain.
Now, after all the evaluation and planning, the implementation phase has begun. Fittingly, the fi rst station to use Cascade back in May 1998 – Montréal Trudeau – is the pilot sta-tion for CargoSpot. The station has been using the software since mid-April, ably supported by a cen-tral support team that will offer all
stations on- or off-site support as the roll out continues across Swissport’s global network. The complete roll out should be fi nished in July 2006.
The Montréal experience has been extremely positive and customers have been content with the switch to CargoSpot. However, such success would not have been possible without the good work and strong motivation of Luciano Esposito, Station Manag-er, Mike Schiavone, Supervisor and the excellent staff at Montréal.
Customer benefi tsBut how exactly will CargoSpot ben-efi t Swissport customers? First, as a central database rather than a local-ised system, CargoSpot ensures that all data is available in one place. This ensures instant global shipment vis-ibility, access to customised reports and automated SLA monitoring.
Maintenance is simple, support is highly effi cient and the fl exibility of the system means it can be quickly adapted to customer-specifi c require-ments. CargoSpot is also fully Cargo 2000-compliant and offers wide-ranging message support capabili-ties.
And while it was obvious during the evaluation stage that CargoSpot covered all the functionality needed to serve customers, Swissport has nonetheless worked on additional
capabilities prior to implementa-tion. And there is more to come. Other important functionalities will be added over the next few months, including: ■ Handheld terminal technology
and bar coding – to improve inter-nal effi ciency at all stations and the quality offered to customers, especially relating to Cargo 2000 requirements;
■ Monitoring tool – to monitor every fl ight and shipment, with pre-alerts. The monitoring will be per-formed using the individual SLAs agreed with customers;
■ Various Customs interfaces; ■ Link to Swissport’s tracking and
tracing system, FreightFinder; and ■ Central/regional invoicing.
And as the roll out now begins in ear-nest, Swissport is convinced that this important tool will set new stand-ards and help us further improve an already close relationship with all customers.
Paul Marsman
W H A T O T H E R S S A Y
The pilot station“We are honoured that our station was selected as the fi rst to implement CargoSpot in North America. I am confi dent that CargoSpot will be a great operating tool for all our staff and customers. We look forward to setting the stage for this new system and offer support to other stations requiring assistance with their implementation.”
Luciano Esposito, Station Manager, Montréal Trudeau International Airport
The regional head“Implementation of this system for the global cargo community is enhanced by having a support group in Europe, Africa and the Americas 24/7. Cus-tomer and handler needs will be addressed in the timely fashion demanded by today’s cargo community.”
Tom Edge, Cargo Operations, Manager Americas
The customer“The full Cargo 2000 compliance of CargoSpot, as well as the timely way Swissport has informed KLM Cargo on the status of shipments, is crucial to our relationship with clients. The implementation of CargoSpot will enable us to work together to improve handling quality for KLM Cargo and our clients.”
Willem van Roozendaal, Key Account Manager, KLM Cargo
C O N T A C T
Paul Marsman, IT Manager Cargo Systems & ServicesPhone: + 31 20 3163 [email protected]
Carpospot ConnectivityWays of connecting to the central database
SITA Router, managed QoS = Quality of ServiceSLA = Service Level AgreementLAN = Local Area NetworkVPN = Virtual Private Network
SITA Line, managedIPSEC VPN Internet connectionSITA managed, full QoS SLAs3rd Party povisioning, no QoS SLAs
Swissport InfraNetSITA IPVPN
Swissport CHEDS
Swissport Server FarmCargospot Server
Internet
StationLAN
StationLAN
StationLAN
StationLAN
8 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
I N N O V A T I O N
Empowering the passengerThe air transport industry is using new technology to allow passen-gers greater control of the airport experience. But how far advanced are these efforts and what can passengers expect from the air-port journey of the future?
Be it for reasons of reducing cost, providing better service, or just mar-ket competition, the air transport industry is making a concerted effort to improve the passenger experience. Technology is being used to not only automate many common airport proc-esses, but also hand over greater con-trol to passengers themselves.
“The whole industry is looking to speed up the process,” says Bart Vos, Senior VP, Distribution and E-com-merce, KLM.
IATA is also generating signifi cant momentum through its Simplifying Passenger Travel initiative (see pages 10 – 11). This initiative, which seeks to utilise technology to streamline a passenger’s total journey, comprises four core projects:
■ Greater use of e-ticketing, with the elimination of paper ticketing altogether by the end of 2007;
■ New barcode technology for boarding cards (instead of mag-netic strips that rely on traditional paper tickets);
■ Global platform for Common Use Self Service (CUSS) kiosks; and
■ Radio frequency identifi cation (RFID) technology for baggage sorting, tagging and interline man-agement.
IATA’s aim is to facilitate the journey of ‘known’ passengers and free up resources to concentrate on so-called ‘unknown’ passengers – so demon-strating that hassle-free travel for bona fi de passengers and heightened security can work hand in hand.
CatalystThe growth in e-business has been the main catalyst for change. No longer the realm of just low-cost carriers, e-ticketing is now the norm almost industry-wide. This is good news for airlines eager to reduce their costs; IATA estimates that with each paper ticket costing an airline $8 – 9, e-tick-eting could save the industry $3 bil-lion each year.
Ticketless travel has been widely embraced by the travelling public, while those that have yet to adapt are likely to face extra persuasion to do so. At KLM, for instance, e-ticketing is now standard and passengers are
penalised for not using the practice, where available. Since 1 January, pas-sengers wishing to be issued a paper ticket face a surcharge of €30 in the Dutch market and never less than €20 elsewhere.
Importantly, the use of e-tickets allows passengers to bypass the check-in line altogether and save time by using airport self-service kiosks to print boarding cards instead. Such kiosks, fi rst pioneered in the US, have been around for many years. Howev-er, in the early days they tended to be airline-specifi c and aimed at frequent fl yers. Now, with IATA’s push for a CUSS standard – and an emphasis on collaboration over duplication – car-riers recognise the cost benefi ts of sharing such kiosks and making them available for all passengers.
Similarly, airports recognise self-service kiosks as vital tools for reduc-ing congestion. Vienna International Airport plans for CUSS kiosks to account for 60% of all check-in facili-ties. Elsewhere, Amsterdam Schiphol has operated such self-service units since December 2004 for a variety of carriers, while KLM operates 40 kiosks for its own operations and those of carriers it handles at the air-port.
“And this will be expanded,” explains Vos. “The concept sees more than 50% of the check-in area dedicated to self-service check-in and baggage drop off facilities.”
Not surprisingly, such customer serv-ice delivery improvements have been seized upon by the major alliance groupings as they look to create a more seamless passenger experience between member carriers. “E-ticket interlining is the most logical pro-gression,” says Vos.
The Star Alliance rolled out its fi rst common use self-service unit in June, starting at Paris CDG Terminal One, while interline e-ticketing was launched in December 2004. This is now being implemented across the Star network through the summer, explains spokesman Markus Roedi-ger.
Meanwhile, oneworld is the fi rst alli-ance to complete interline e-ticket-ing links with all eight of its member carriers. It is now working on a group standard for self-service kiosks, as well as taking an alliance approach to the new two dimensional barcode technology being encouraged by IATA for implementation on board-ing cards.
Online check-inAnd online check-in, a natural exten-sion of e-ticketing, has followed as the latest way for passengers to save time and bypass airport queues. Pas-sengers have the option of check-ing in, printing out a boarding pass and even changing a seat number at home, in the offi ce, or while already on the road. Each boarding pass has a passenger-specifi c barcode, which
is checked at the gate. Any hold bag-gage is taken to a designated drop off point.
Again, US carriers have led the way, beginning with online services for domestic fl ights. More recently, car-riers such as Continental, Northwest
and US Airways have begun offer-ing similar services for international fl ights. Some even provide incentives for utilising these services, includ-ing the offer of bonus frequent fl yer miles and even seat upgrades.
In Europe, KLM began promoting its internet check-in service last year – a service that allows e-ticketed pas-sengers to check-in up to 30 hours
before departure. “This ensures greater effi ciency plus allows check-in staff to allocate time to passenger categories that need more attention,” explains Vos.
And many others have followed suit. In March 2005, frequent fl yers on
“Technology will continue to infl uence all processes, both at the airport and
during the actual sales process.“Bart Vos, KLM
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 9
Japan Airlines’ international fl ights were able to check-in online for the fi rst time, while British Airways fi rst launched a similar service from Lon-don Heathrow Terminal One late last year.
Finnair, another carrier with a long tradition of innovation, has followed the IATA SPT initiative closely, but has also come up with some of its own ideas.
Online check-in is nothing new to the carrier, having offered the service for fl ights departing Helsinki Vantaa and Stockholm Arlanda airports since 2001. Finnair’s latest innovation – and one that has been followed by other carriers – is text message check-in for its Finnair Plus passengers. The serv-ice enables frequent fl yers travelling with hand luggage to receive and confi rm seat and gate information on their mobile phones and travel direct to the departure gate.
“User levels are already the same as for online check-in,” reports Tuija Makkonen, System Develop-ment Manager, Finnair. “Customers have adopted this new service as the easiest and most convenient way of checking in whenever it is possible.”
But what of the future? One thing for sure, believes Vos, is that technology will continue to infl uence all proc-esses, both at the airport and during the actual sales process. “Passengers already have more information in terms of price transparency and avail-ability than ever before,” he says.
Back at the airport, the time will surely come for RFID technology.
Although it has been used for some baggage applications – and Finnair has used it in a smart card as part of a business travel product for com-panies – RFID baggage tags remain expensive at around $0.25 each.
However, IATA argues that the use of such technology for interline bag-gage management could help reduce handling errors by as much as 15% and save carriers a small fortune in service recovery costs.
Most agree that what is needed is for tag prices to fall to between fi ve and10 cents each – something that could be achieved if a standard RFID is created and tags produced in bulk.
What is clear is that although the industry has already come a long way, it has taken only the fi rst few steps down a road that promises to be as long as it is exciting – with passengers the ultimate winners.
Richard Rowe
F O R Y O U R E Y E S O N L Y
In this age of heightened security, the use of biometrics – technology that measures personal physical characteristics – looks set to play a leading role not just in passenger processing, but also in access control and identity authentication. And the industry has already seen several examples that are either fully operational, or currently being tested:
■ Privium programme, Amsterdam Schiphol – an exclusive membership for frequent fl yers that includes the use of iris recognition to automate and speed up border passage;
■ IRIS Project, London Heathrow – a new scheme that invites frequent travellers with non-EU passports to have their iris patterns photo-graphed and stored on a database. Passengers then use dedicated check-points to scan their eyes for speedy re-entry to the UK;
■ Registered Traveler Project, US – a pilot scheme from the Transportation Security Administration that allows frequent fl yers to use fi ngerprint and iris recognition to avoid secondary screening at their home airports;
■ Fully Automated Seamless Travel (FAST), Singapore Changi – a trial in 2004 of immigration kiosks that read fi ngerprints and facial features and also double as automated check-in counters; and
■ Nexus Air Program, Vancouver – a 17-month trial of a new fast lane that grants pre-approved travellers swift entry to the US using iris recogni-tion technology.
I N N O V A T I O N
Passengers are expected to benefi t greatly from a variety of industry-wide measures.
all photos: Finnair
10 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
Swissport International and SITA have signed an agreement that will set new standards for the development and marketing of Self-Service Devices across the airport industry. This important new technology will be of great benefi t to all parties involved.
For some time now the airline indus-try has spoken about the concept, and importance, of Simplifi ed Pas-senger Travel (SPT). Recognising this trend, Swissport has decided to involve itself in the SPT development process by signing an agreement with air transport technology com-pany SITA. Together, the two part-ners plan to embark on setting new standards for the development and marketing of Self-Service Devices (SSD) for the whole airport service industry.
The fi rst visible results of this coop-eration – Swissport’s e-services con-cept and the prototype of a high-tech check-in device – was presented at the International Ground Handling Conference in Bangkok in mid-May. The new application is called CUSS, or Common Use Self Service Sys-tem.
SITA is the ideal partner, believes Bruno Riesen, Chief Information Offi cer at Swissport. SITA not only already plays a leading role in the airline industry, but has also devel-oped a translation device known as a Common Language Facility (CLF). This is already used widely by a vari-ety of airlines for traditional check-in. CLF guarantees that staff can work on different check-in systems while using the same Graphical User Interface.
“CLF opens the doors to self-serv-ice check-in via the Internet, as well as CUSS to airlines that do not have their own CUSS application,” explains Riesen.
Technology companies in the past have concentrated more on devel-oping individual systems for airlines, but CUSS now offers the fi rst global common check-in platform.
In addition, CUSS offers new oppor-tunities for smaller airlines that were previously unable to afford their own SSDs or software, adds Michael Kilch-
herr, Commercial Project Manager CUSS at Swissport. Another novelty is that CUSS means that Advanced Passenger Infor-mation can now be read automati-cally by a passport reader. This is an important step within the context of SPT as well as in light of the increas-ing use of biometric data. As such, CUSS contributes greatly towards the avoidance of fi nes paid for pas-sengers who do not have the correct travel documents.
Perfect toolSuch advantages confi rm CUSS as the perfect tool for all parties involved in the check-in process. Airlines benefi t from cost savings, primarily because they no longer have to buy their own self-service kiosks. The CUSS hard-ware is, in most cases, bought by the airports – at a cost of CHF 30,000 (US$ 25,000) – and rented to airlines or handling agents. And since the kiosks are available to various air-lines, the carriers can also share the rental charges.
Meanwhile, and in the case of tradi-tional check-in, the airport charges the airline for the time during which an employee is logged onto a compu-ter, or for the number of passengers checked. This means that CUSS also saves on infrastructure costs.
And then there are the time savings. Tests indicate that the use of CUSS for a common check-in process can take as little as 90 seconds – effec-tively halving the usual three min-utes taken for a traditional check-in procedure.
“The new application is, however, not limited to just printing the board-ing pass,” explains Kilchherr. “Pas-sengers can check themselves and their baggage in from home or at a CUSS device. The bag tag is printed
Self-service comes of ageI N N O V A T I O N
C U S S : P A S S E N G E R B E N E F I T S
■ Accessible options for check-in■ Greater control of check-in process■ More enjoyable airport experience.
C U S S : C U S T O M E R B E N E F I T S
■ Signifi cant cost and time savings■ Greater automation of processes■ Improved fl ow of passengers.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 11
at specifi c drop-off points, where pas-sengers can then also hand in their baggage.”
In this way, passengers benefi t from greater control over the check-in process, while airports gain valuable space from the sharing of kiosks by different airlines.
Current situationAlready today, a lot of passengers do not go to the staffed check-in coun-ter, instead choosing to print their boarding passes at the existing self-service kiosks. For instance, almost 20% of passengers now check in at the SSD kiosks installed at Zürich Airport.
The new SSD, however, promises a potential of up to 50%. Already, the new generation of SSD kiosks avail-able at Amsterdam Schiphol is used by 60% of all passengers (be it an SSD or Internet check-in tool). Other self-service check-in pioneers include the airports of Las Vegas, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Vienna.
For its part, Swissport plans to use the new CUSS in Zürich as of sum-mer 2005 and is also evaluating other stations. Swissport is currently the only ground handling member of the IATA Working Groups SPT and CUSS Management Group.
Andrea Seehafer
S I M P L I F Y I N G P A S S E N G E R T R A V E L
The overall aim of the Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) programme is to improve the travel experience by replacing repetitive checks of pas-sengers and their documents with a streamlined system. This system will collect the information once and then share it electronically with subse-quent service providers. It will also more positively identify the passenger using biometrics and enhance security with real-time checks of govern-ment databases.
SPT provides a unique win-win situation to improve facilitation and secu-rity while enhancing the passenger’s air travel experience.
The SPT programme has built a unique multi-sector membership that is working towards the common goal of simplifi ed and secure passenger processing. The programme facilitates interaction amongst diverse stake-holders to meet, discuss and exchange specialised knowledge and benefi t from lessons learned.
The SPT programme involves 14 board members and the SPT Inter-est Group (SPTIG). There are currently 71 SPTIG members with repre-sentatives from airports, airlines, ground handlers, customs & immigration authorities and technology suppliers. Membership is open to parties with expertise, resources and interest to help move the programme forward.
The SPTIG has undertaken detailed analysis to achieve the SPT Vision. Process papers have been developed describing the existing process areas of pre-travel, check-in & boarding, security and border control, the oppor-tunities available to improve these processes and the challenges that are faced.
In the current phase, the Interest Group is developing an Ideal Process Flow based on international aviation standards that will enhance the travel experience while maintaining security. As a result of the process papers and Ideal Process Flows, the SPTIG are also exploring possible tri-als that would encompass the entire ideal process and test it for feasibility, practicality and interoperability, which is key to the fulfi lment of the SPT vision.
For more information, visit www.simplifying-travel.org or contact SPT at [email protected]
Gupta Arundhati
I N N O V A T I O N
CUSS Kiosk
Airline
CUSS capable Airline Check-in Host(e. g. KLM Codeco)
Airline CUSS Application (e. g. KLM Codeco)
Swissport CUSS Application
DCSCheck-in Host or not CUSS capable Host
PassengerHandlerTranslator Programm for 23 Airline Systems
12 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
N E T W O R K
Africa continues to attractSwissport has increased its pres-ence in Africa by establishing a joint venture in Algeria and a franchise agreement in Sudan. Both will tie in with existing oper-ations in the south, west and east of this vast continent.
Perhaps one of the highlights from a fl urry of Swissport developments in early 2005 was the announcement of entry into the two largest countries in Africa: Sudan and Algeria.
In Sudan, Swissport has concluded a franchise agreement with Khar-toum-based MASS Aviation Sup-port. An experienced local operator, MASS has provided ground han-dling services at Khartoum for 10 years. Starting in May, MASS began offering ground services under the Swissport name for seven airlines and a total of two million passengers per year.
The arrangement is part of Swiss-port’s market-specifi c strategy to combine its expertise and global con-nections with the regional needs of an experienced local operator.
Meanwhile, in Algeria, Swissport has formed a joint venture with the Arcofi na Group, a privately owned Algerian holding company active in several service sectors. The new venture, known as Swiss-port Algerie, will begin full service handling operations at Algiers by end of 2005. This is not only Swiss-port’s fi rst station in North Africa, but also the fi rst time that a foreign ground service company has been granted an operating licence. Swiss-port has a substantial shareholding in the new venture. Algiers is an airport very much on the up. Today, it handles four mil-lion passengers, 20,000 tonnes of air cargo and 45,000 aircraft movements per year. Algeria is now much more stable politically and the economy is posting good fi gures: with 6% growth in GDP last year and infl ation at less than 3%, rapid market development is anticipated.
“There is big potential here,” believes Claude Badan, an experi-enced Swissport executive who will
head up the operation. “Three years ago there was only Air Algerie at the airport, but now it is served by 11 foreign carriers. And four more are
ready to start scheduled operations into the airport by the end of 2005, or beginning 2006.”
There is also an opportunity in the medium term to expand to all of the country’s main international airports, adds Badan.
The timing is also good from an infra-structure point of view. Swissport Alge-rie will become a fi rm fi xture at the air-
port in time for the opening of a new terminal in 2006, which will increase capacity to six million passengers.
“The airport authority is provid-ing a modern tool that will enable Swissport Algerie to give customers a Swissport group-standard service,” explains Badan.
Swissport’s cause at these two new stations will undoubtedly be helped by its presence elsewhere in Africa. This includes South Africa, where Swissport works with a local partner, as well as Tanzania through its share-holding in Dahaco. Swissport also has a presence in Kenya.
Meanwhile, the acquisition of Protec-tas Aviation Security – now Check-port – in 2004 means that Swissport also has minor shareholdings in sev-eral countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon.
“We have been watching the wider African market for some time, but there has been either a lack of critical mass or political diffi culties,” reveals Dr Ludwig Bertsch, EVP Asia, Mid-dle East, Africa and Cargo. “How-ever, the situation is now changing and several countries are beginning to show promise.
“From our perspective, we need to see a country, population and airport with potential for international traf-fi c.”
Although not yet a familiar name to many domestic carriers in Africa, Swissport is nonetheless extremely well known to the international car-riers serving these African destina-tions.
After a lull, the signs are that many international carriers are once again building up their services to the conti-nent – an extremely promising devel-opment for Swissport and its exciting new ventures in Africa.
Richard Rowe
“We need to see a country, population and airport with
potential for international traffi c.”Dr Ludwig Bertsch
C O N T A C T
For Algier and KhartoumClaude [email protected] (top) and Khartoum will be important components in Swissport’s wider African
network.
S W I S S P O R T I N A F R I C A
■ Serving approximately 30 airlines■ Present at 14 airports in eight countries■ More than 1,500 employees.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 13
Customers speak much louder than words
Ground handling is about more than just turnaround rates, lean processes and state-of-the-art equipment. Good ground han-dling is also about responsibility, trust and a strong personal com-mitment. To highlight these key aspects of any ground services partnership, Swissport has put the focus squarely on its airline customers for its 2005 advertising campaign.
It is not the high loaders, the push-back tractors, or the check-in desks that Swissport is using to promote its services in its latest ad campaign; it is the people those services are provided for.
In a fi rst for the ground service sec-tor, Swissport is turning to testimo-nials – statements by various indus-try individuals on their experience of working with the world’s leading ground handling group.
In devising the new campaign, Swiss-port attached top importance to obtaining genuine customer com-
ments that refl ected the daily reality of the collaborations concerned.
The new approach should help Swiss-port become even more personal, individual and customer-focused in
the services that it provides. It should also help achieve a clearer and more separate positioning of its various business lines.
At the same time, the consistency of the concept should underline the worldwide reach of the Swissport Group, the interconnections of its various service lines and the value
these can offer to its various business partners.
The new ad campaign was launched in May in various trade magazines.
Swissport would like to take this opportunity to thank the airlines and the individuals who agreed to take part. Swissport appreciates these open and honest customer commu-nications, and sees them as both a motive and incentive to continue to cultivate such close client partner-ships in the months and years ahead.
The new approach should help Swissport become even
more personal, individual and customer-focused in
the services that it provides.
Swissport Cargo Services is a profession-al partner who has created perceptibleoperational and cost benefits for us. TheSCS team’s innovative spirit and abilityto handle all cargo matters, includingULD management, has enabled us tofocus on our core business. And becauseof its global presence, we know that SCSwill be right on our side as we expand.Stan Wraight, Vice President ScheduledCargo Operations, Volga Dnepr Group
At more than 80 stations around theworld,we currently handle about 3 mil-lion metric tons of cargo per year for over 290 customers.Our major ambitionis to continually introduce new services,new products,and new destinations to en-hance Swissport Cargo Services’ appealand our ability to provide superb supportfor customers like Stan Wraight.Dr.Ludwig Bertsch,EVP & Head GlobalCargo,Swissport International Ltd.,Zürich
In Unitpool, we have found a partner inwhom we can trust, and whose serviceshave created tangible operational costbenefits for our company. The Unitpoolteam's professional approach and exten-sive ULD control know-how has ena-bled us to focus our attention on ourcore business, with the confidence thatour ULD requirements are being attend-ed to by experts. Guy Hardy, CargoSales Manager, SN Brussels Airlines,Brussels, Belgium
Unitpool currently serves 28 airlines atover 200 stations and 37 global repaircenters with a fleet of 18,000+ ULDs.Inonly 3 years,we have positioned Unitpoolas global leader in the ULD control andpooling business.With top-tier supply,repair,tracking,and ULD control servi-ces,it is our aim to fully meet and exceed the expectations of customers like SNBrussels Airlines.Philip Hill,CEOUnitpool,Zürich-Kloten,Switzerland
Amsterdam AsianaAnchorage Cathay Pacifi c, Miami Air, Tradewinds, Dragonair, Air CanadaAtlanta KLM Barcelona Finnair, PegasusBasel/Mulhouse Austrian, Catran, Cimber Air, Corsair, Eurocypria, Iberia, JAT, easyJetBerlin Schonefeld Basiq Air, Iberworld, Onur Air, Aer LingusBerlin Tegel Aerofl ot, CSA, Flynordic, Iberworld, Luxair, Martinair, Onur Air, Qantas, Swiss, VolgaBirmingham (UK) Aerofl ot, Alitalia, BrtishJet, My Travel, Swiss Boston VirginBremen Aerofl ot, Martinair, Qantas Brussels Air India, Sunair Buenos Aires Ezeiza Air Madrid, GOL, MexicanaBuenos Aires Jorge Newberry UAirCancun Primaris, Transmeridian, United Airlines Cape Town Qatar Cologne Aerofl ot, CSA, Qantas Dortmund Aerofl ot, Martinair, Qantas, Volga Dresden Aerofl ot, Catran, Martinair, Qantas, Volga Dusseldorf Aerofl ot, Aer Lingus, CSA, Qantas, Volga, Air France, Iberia, KLMFortaleza Golden Jet, MartinairFrankfurt Aerofl ot, CSA, Eurocypria, Malev, Volga, TAPGeneva Maersk Air, Malmö Aviation, Sunexpress, Twinjet, Virgin ExpressHamburg Aerofl ot, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Catran, Qantas, Swiss, Air France, easyJetHanover CSAHonolulu JALJohannesburg Qantas, QatarLas Vegas ASA, BMI, Idependence, FrontierLeipzig Aerofl ot, Martinair, Qantas, VolgaLiege Africa West, SunairLondon Gatwick BritishJet, First Choise, Jet2, Turkish AirlinesLondon Heathrow Austrian, KuzuLondon Stansted Germanwings, Malev, Pegasus, Tian, TransaviaLos Angeles JAL, Lan Chile, Mexicana, Qantas, Air FranceLyon RAFMadrid Finnair, PegasusManaus BrazilManchester Alitalia, Austrian, BritishJet, Kuzu, Monarch, TurkishMiami Alitalia, Finnair, Iberia, Lufthansa, Mexicana, EL AL, VirginMontevideo Aerolineas, UnitedMontreal Dorval Delta Air Lines, Swiss, UnitedMunich Aerofl ot, CSA, Flynordic, Qantas, VolgaNewcastle Lufthansa, SAS, WideroeNew York LaGuardia JetsGoNew York JFK Cathay Pacifi c, Israir, Jet Blue, LTU, Malev, TACA, Thai, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, LufthansaNuremberg Aerofl ot, British Airways, Martinair, Singapore, US AirwaysOakland MexicanaOrlando KLMParis CDG ASA, Catran, Finnair, Ivoire Airways, Niki, Vietnam, easyJet Phoenix ATA, Jet BlueReno ASA, Horizon AirlinesSan Francisco Air France, Cathay Pacifi c, Eva Air, Icelandair, KLM, Mexicana, Singapore, TradewindsSan Jose MexicanaSeattle SAS, KoreanSingapore SwissStuttgart Aerofl ot, British Airways, Martinair, Qantas, VolgaToronto Delta Air LinesVienna FinnairWashington Dulles Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Transmeridian, SAA, VirginZürich Air Med, Atlas Bleu, City Airline AB, Hambrg Int’l, Sunexpress Air France
U R E S F O R 2 0 0 5 S W I S S P O R T
customers over 650
employees over 21,000
venue (in 2004) USD 1,136,000
ndled per year 2,000,000
dled 3,200,000
handled per year over 70,000,000
s in 40 countries
16 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
Equipment maintenance and repair is a mission-critical activity in the transportation industry. Swissport Maintenance Services is improving its own competence in this area through the use of a new asset management solution – one that is helping attract interest from a variety of customers.
For the last two years, Swissport Maintenance Services has been striv-ing to optimise the operational per-formance of the company’s ground support equipment assets and ensure a high level of reliability and availability. Swissport Maintenance Services has identifi ed the increasing need to manage more with a limited budget while still meeting changing mainte-nance requirements. In all types of organisations within Swissport, the management of transportation assets is a signifi cant challenge.
To meet growing demand in the fi eld of asset maintenance, Swissport Main-tenance Services has implemented a strategic asset management solution which is called Maximo. This system addresses the multiple asset types we utilise, while providing key informa-tion on essential assets. It allows the company to track and manage all assets critical to the performance of the business at optimal performance levels.
Questions about extending asset life, increasing uptime and control-
ling labour costs, improving war-ranty recovery and bridging the gap between operations and mainte-nance have all been major topics of discussion and implementation over the last two years.
Maximo was originally installed sev-eral years ago in the Swissport main-tenance bases at Geneva and Basel. However, it has since been upgraded
and was implemented at Zürich in early 2003 as well as in New York later that year. The successful instal-lation in New York subsequently kicked off the North American roll-out, which is now in full swing. Today, a total of nine stations worldwide have been fi tted with Maximo, with a further fi ve stations lined up for implementation during the remain-der of 2005.
By providing a single repository for all asset-related information, Swissport Maintenance Services also gives sen-ior management – for the fi rst time – the ability to view and manage asset performance from a corporate per-spective. By managing critical assets more closely, our company improves the uptime of critical revenue-gen-erating assets, reduces the costs of acquiring, maintaining and even dis-posing of those assets, and, ultimately, increases shareholder value.
Now that the transformed main-tenance bases are being managed more professionally, Swissport Main-tenance Services is starting to attract third-party customers – a refl ection of our growing competence in the fi eld of GSE maintenance and asset management.
This marks the fi rst stepping stone towards offering a full range of main-tenance products to airlines, ground handlers and other airport compa-nies needing to fulfi ll commitments to their own clients.
What is clear is that Swissport Mainte-nance Services is expanding its global network of maintenance facilities to better service our own company and the growing needs of the customer. Mark Salathé[email protected]
P R O D U C T
Maintenance mission
Swissport Maintenance Services is now starting to attract third-party
customers
Maximo will enable Swissport to effi ciently track and manage all critical assets.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 17
O P E R A T I O N S
With a customer list of more than 600 airlines, and handling 70 mil-lion passengers per year, Swiss-port is more exposed to potential crisis situations than others. It is for this reason that Swissport has developed a new Corporate Cri-sis Management Policy that will be implemented at all stations worldwide.
Being the world’s leading ground serv-ices provider is not without its risk. With so many customers, the chance that Swissport will be confronted with an emergency situation is a day-to-day reality. Although air travel is one of the safest modes of transport, and statis-tics show a decrease in the number of accidents, we do not underestimate the impact of such a catastrophic event.
However, we are not just focusing on emergency situations; there are many more events that could be considered a ‘crisis’ and that all require a profes-sional reaction to manage the situ-ation. As such, a crisis is defi ned as:
“An unstable condition or situation, as in political, social or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change, one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.”
Given that the business activity at all Swissport stations has the potential to be impacted by a crisis, an emer-gency or accident – of an aircraft or otherwise – all units must be pre-pared to handle any situation in a professional manner. To assist our units, and to bring consistency, the Operations and Quality department
has introduced a new Corporate Cri-sis Management Policy. This corpo-rate document has been approved by Swissport’s top management and is mandatory for all Swissport stations worldwide.
Whereas, in the traditional approach, crisis management is concentrated on aircraft incidents and accidents, this document goes further to include events such as crises origi-nating from our own and/or other organisations.
Such events can range from disrup-tions due to severe weather condi-tions, labour strikes, accidents in ter-minal buildings and airport railway stations to bomb threats to our own or our customers’ property. The risk of such an event is far higher than that of an aircraft being involved in an accident.
In case of emergency, and as per the IATA Standard Ground Handling Agreement, Swissport will take all necessary measures to assist its cus-tomers. As a handling agent, Swiss-port plays a crucial role in, at least, the fi rst hours of the crisis and as such will follow the procedures as instructed by its customers and/or airport authorities.
And in those cases where the cus-tomer has not defi ned any proce-
dures, Swissport stations will auto-matically follow the standard local emergency procedures, which will be defi ned by each station on the basis of the Corporate Crisis Man-agement policy.
The new guidelines allow Swissport stations to create awareness and prepare themselves in cooperation with customers and airport authori-ties to handle a potential crisis in the most professional way. The policy allows parties to get organised as fast as possible, to establish clear lines of command, to plan the necessary
resources and to manage the internal and external communication.
An important part of the prepara-tion is training. Lack of preparation will necessarily result in an uncoordi-nated and ineffective crisis response. Although it is understood that there is no unique model of responding to a crisis, the theoretical prepara-tion and training of the staff lays the foundation for a professional crisis response. As such, it is mandatory for all Swissport staff to follow bi-annual awareness training to ensure local crisis procedures are known and that everyone is aware of their responsi-bilities.
Although most of any crises will be managed locally or on a country lev-el, Swissport has also prepared a cri-sis organisation at its corporate offi ce to assist the stations with all available know how and support. All corpo-rate communication will be managed from this point in close cooperation with Swissport local management and the customer(s) involved. One thing is clear: poor crisis manage-ment could have a devastating effect on the reputation of both Swissport and its customer airlines. By defi n-ing a Corporate Crisis Management Policy, Swissport is demonstrating the importance of being prepared to take care of our customers’ interest in situations that go way beyond day-to-day business.
Dirk Jan de Roo
Preparing for the worst
It is mandatory for all Swissport staff to follow bi-annual awareness
training to ensure local crisis proce-dures are known.
In case of emergency, Swissport will take all necessary measures to
assist its customers.
C O N T A C T
Dirk Jan de RooVP Operations & Quality Mobile: +31 6 516 23 [email protected]
18 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
Cargo crusaderOne of the industry’s most respected executives, Ram Menen, Senior Vice President Cargo at Emirates Airlines, has spearheaded not only his own carrier’s rapid devel-opment from its base in Dubai, but also championed the wider role of air cargo in powering world trade. Swissreporter caught up with him recently.
Swissreporter: The air cargo industry enjoyed a welcome rebound on most world trade lanes in 2004. What did this mean for Emirates SkyCargo? Ram Menen: In 2004, Emirates Sky-Cargo mapped an ambitious strategy combining expansion, innovation and service level enhancements. Our glo-bal reach extended further with the launch of bellyhold services to Lagos, Accra, Glasgow, Shanghai, Vienna, New York and Christchurch. We also inaugurated new freighter services to Budapest, Milan, Lahore, Johannes-burg and Nairobi. Meanwhile, existing freighter serv-ices were increased to a number of destinations – including Gothenburg and Hong Kong as part of an alli-ance with SAS Cargo – while belly-
hold capacity was also increased in Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacifi c.
With the addition of two 747-400Fs, our freighter fl eet expanded by one-third to six aircraft. In a move to rationalise payloads and better serv-ice short-haul routes, we purchased
three A310-300 aircraft in Decem-ber 2004 for conversion to freight-ers. These will enter service between summer 2005 and early 2006. This determined strategy paid off: revenue grew 42% in the six months 1 April to 30 September 2004, while tonnage was up 27% to 401,500 tonnes.
Many carriers have targeted the vast Chinese market. What has been your penetration there to date and what can we expect from Emirates in the near future? Emirates SkyCargo began services to Hong Kong in August 1994, Shang-hai in September 2002 and Dalian in December 2003. We operate fi ve weekly freighter services to Shanghai,
four using a 747-400F and one with a -200F. In addition, we offer bellyhold services in our daily passenger fl ights to Shanghai in an A340-300 with a payload capacity of 13 tonnes.
Elsewhere, we offer eight weekly freighter services to Hong Kong with a 747-400F and bellyhold capacity in
12 scheduled passenger services. In fact, we now offer in excess of 1,800 tonnes of capacity every week to China. We launched one more fre-quency to Hong Kong in April plus anticipate bellyhold services to Bei-jing in February 2006.
Some say India will be the ‘next Chi-na’, while others suggest the econo-mies are very different. How big an opportunity does India offer the air cargo industry? Consider this: Emirates SkyCargo offers bellyhold services in 43 fl ights to fi ve cities in India every week and we also offer weekly freighter serv-ices to Mumbai, Chennai and Banga-lore. We are doing extremely well to and from all our Indian destinations. The country’s rapidly increasing pop-ulation and disposable incomes, dec-ade of liberalisation and policies to rationalise bureaucracy, create a sta-ble investment environment and low-er import tariffs have made it attrac-tive to foreign investors and boosted industrial growth. China’s prowess as a major manufacturing base is well known, but India will develop its own reputation in key sectors. Analysts suggest the arrival of new carriers with vision and capital rather than large home markets could threaten established players. What is your feeling, particularly in light of
C A R G O I N T E R V I E W
“India is one of the countries to watch in the next decade.”
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 19
the competition that has arrived at Abu Dhabi? You are partly right. The recently released independent UBS report highlighted the success of Emirates’ strategy and analysed the reasons behind its emergence as a major competitor to the leading European carriers.
We are used to competition and wel-come it as a driver of market expan-sion and a creator of new opportuni-ties. We also believe that air cargo is a high growth industry, as is the region we are based in. The more the capac-ity deployed here, the more room it creates for unconstrained growth. A higher number of players will mean a stronger pull effect for cargo to be routed through this region. Although there might be challenges in the short term, we are here for the long haul, which is looking extremely positive. The air cargo industry is often ac-cused of being slow to innovate, despite the many global initiatives currently underway (e-trading, Car-go 2000 etc). Yes, the air cargo industry is bur-dened with legacy systems and processes, which act as albatrosses around its neck. Current IT systems, for example, offer few options, suffer from outdated platforms and long
delays, expensive distribution, rigidi-ties of fi elds and action codes and control exercised by multiple air-lines and regulatory authorities. But things are changing, and though they may not be as swift or as sweeping as required, alterations are in the air. Emirates SkyCargo, on the other hand, is gearing up for the challenges
of the new business environment in which fl exibility and speed to market are the key drivers of success. Our New Generation Cargo System – slated for roll out by end-2005 – will offer customers seamless communi-cation pipelines that accurately cap-ture information at source to serve multi-purpose functions.
It will free Emirates SkyCargo from the barrage of paperwork currently required by various authorities, set-ting the foundation for a truly paper-less cargo world. The success of many air cargo prod-ucts can be determined by what hap-pens on the ground. What is the car-rier’s approach to buying handling services?
Emirates SkyCargo carefully evalu-ates cargo handling services and operators on a variety of criteria prior to appointing them and then continually throughout the con-tract period. We evaluate facilities, value a like-minded customer-cen-tric approach and look for exper-tise and experience. Contracts are renewed depending on service sat-isfaction levels and subject to the establishment of strict service level agreements when outsourced. At the Emirates SkyCargo Centre – our hub in Dubai – we self-handle and manage all our own operations.
Outline the impact on your cargo business of the A380 aircraft join-ing your fl eet next year and, more signifi cantly, the two A380-800Fs scheduled for 2008.
Although the passenger versions of the A380 aircraft are gigantic, they offer limited bellyhold cargo capaci-ties as the aircraft will carry massive amounts of baggage.
The A380 freighter, on the other hand, with a range of 10,400 kilome-tres, is designed to carry payloads of 150 tonnes (330,000lbs) spread over
its three decks. The massive freight-ers will enable Emirates SkyCargo to carry an even bigger range of com-modities. A total of 70 pallets – 25 in the upper deck, 32 in the main and 13 in the lower – will fi nd space in the A380Fs, offering a total cargo vol-ume of 1,156 cubic metres. Finally, we hear a lot of talk about cargo airline alliances, although you seem to prefer a more fl exible circle of friends.
Emirates sees its customers’ and its own best interests better served by remaining independent. We see no advantage in being part of a collective group of companies that are branded alliances based more on marketing principles. Emirates SkyCargo pre-fers the fl exibility that it currently enjoys to forge partnerships where these are mutually benefi cial and are based on commercial principles.
Interview: Richard Rowe
C A R G O I N T E R V I E W
E M I R A T E S F A S T F A C T S
■ Emirates SkyCargo now serves 23 destinations worldwide using six freighter aircraft – and more than 75 including bellyhold services
■ The carrier operates extensive road feeder services and in 2004 launched new scheduled trucking services in Milan, Vienna, Lahore and Dalian
■ In the fi nancial year 2003 – 2004, Emirates SkyCargo’s overall revenue grew by 42% to Dhs 2.4 billion (US$ 653 million).
A B O U T R A M M E N E N
Ram Menen began his aviation career in 1976 at Kuwait Airways. He later moved to British Air-ways to head its cargo operations in Kuwait. In 1984, he joined the Kuwaiti aviation group Alghanim Al Qutub Shipping Agencies to set up and manage its airfreight for-warding unit in Dubai. Mr Menen has headed the cargo division of Emirates since the inception of the airline in October 1985.
Trained as an engineer, he spearheaded the conceptualisation and devel-opment of the LD-36 (AMF) type of ULD that increased usable space on each lower deck pallet base by 33%. Mr Menen is one of the founder members of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) serving as Vice President in 1993 and 1994, and as President, CEO and Chairman of the Board in 1995 and 1996. He continues to be involved with TIACA as Trustee and member of the Presidents’ Council. Mr Menen is also a member of IATA’s Cargo Commit-tee and its Executive Committee and an advisory group member of GF-X.
Mr Menen has long been a champion of the air logistics industry. He is actively involved in the development of various IT initiatives to address the needs of the industry and has helped focus attention on cargo as an integral part of the world trade process.
“Flexibility and speed to market are the key drivers of success.”
all photos: Emirates
20 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
P R O D U C T
Making cargo count
With air cargo volume growing at a faster rate than passenger traf-fi c in many markets, cargo is mak-ing an increasingly valuable con-tribution to airline bottom lines. It is no surprise then that Swissport invested signifi cantly in its cargo product line during 2004.
The growing importance of air cargo on airline profi tability is refl ected in Swissport’s approach to this side of the handling business. Considerable effort has been made, particularly over the last 12 months, to nurture a more integrated and consistent product.
In general, 2004 was a good year for cargo at Swissport, with major growth at the 70 airports where warehouse handling is offered. In total, Swiss-port handled a staggering three mil-lion tonnes of cargo, while Swissport Cargo Services in the Americas han-dled more than 1.4 million tonnes alone. Several countries, such as the UK and Germany, also hit record fi g-ures close to 200,000 tonnes for the year.
Overall, the Swissport cargo division revenue increased 36% over 2003, topping CHF 300 million (US$245 million) for the fi rst time. Double-digit growth is also expected in 2005.
Swissport has used its major asset – a powerful network – to full advantage. In Europe, for example, fully-fl edged network products are sold, whereby carriers handled at a central hub also benefi t from a full distribution serv-ice by truck to offl ine stations and vice versa.
Similarly, more than 20 airports have been added to the portfolio by work-ing together with strategic partners at stations outside of the current net-work. Such product networking has also helped forge closer co-opera-
tion between individual Swissport countries and greatly assisted efforts to make network products operate as effi ciently and cost-effectively as possible.
On a global basis, some extraordinary deals have been closed – several of which closely mirror the global net-works of major clients. With KLM, for example, Swissport entered an inno-vative partnership for the handling of around 300,000 tonnes of cargo at more than 50 airports. Elsewhere, in the US, Swissport signed a contract with United Airlines to handle more than 600,000 tonnes of cargo at the carrier’s major hubs.
Product focusTo allow a more product-focused approach, Swissport re-organised its divisional set-up and established a worldwide cargo handling division under the leadership of Dr Ludwig Bertsch. This division has subse-quently set lofty targets: to expand the network; improve the quality and effi ciency of handling in general; and introduce new products to comple-ment the core products of document and physical handling.
And steps are already being taken along each of those lines. In terms of network expansion, a signifi cant move came in the Far East, where
Swissport now holds the third licence for ground and cargo handling at Sin-gapore. Swissport also opened its fi rst station in Eastern Europe – in Buda-pest – and has set its sights on several other airports in the region.
Meanwhile, in Western Europe, Swiss-port continues its general expansion philosophy having opened a new sta-tion in Amsterdam and improved the operational position in Brussels.
On the quality side, Swissport con-tinues to implement ISO certifi cation throughout the network, adding to the larger stations certifi ed in 2004. Just as importantly, a more intensive audit programme has been imple-mented to improve the capability of each station to reach greater effi cien-cies on a local and regional level.
And fi nally there is product devel-opment. Here, Swissport is in-sourc-ing more activities such as trucking, operational service centres and asset control – such as ULD management – on behalf of airline customers. Meanwhile, at a corporate level, a global sales manager is now respon-sible for sales and global key account management.
Swissport has also introduced a vari-ety of computer-based tools. These include real time control to measure global volumes with all customers on a daily basis, as well as station pro-fi les that provide the network with updated information on the techni-cal possibilities of each station. Such tools will be used to streamline a glo-bal handling strategy towards all key accounts.
Above all, Swissport remains nim-ble so that it is able to accommo-date developments in the wider cargo business, but also drive change beyond the realms of a traditional cargo handling product.
More than 20 airports have been added to the portfolio by working together with strategic partners.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 21
After posting excellent fi nancial results in 2004 – with revenue up 20% year-on-year – Swissport Exe-cutive Aviation has seen an even more promising start to 2005.
Swissport Executive Aviation’s strong start to the year can be attrib-uted to many factors. Importantly, the
handling of very large executive jets increased on a global basis, including nine A330s, fi ve TU154s, three A310s, plus B767s and several B727-200 air-craft.
Clearly, our reputation for provid-ing a high quality service to the many VVIPs and heads of state that
travel on such large aircraft contin-ues to spread – the bases hosting such important customers were as far apart as Brazil and South Africa, as well as in several European coun-tries.
A further opportunity to shine came in January 2005 when the Swiss city of Davos hosted the World Eco-nomic Forum. Once again, Swissport Executive Aviation teamed with the Execujet Aviation Group to pro-vide services to executive aircraft at Zürich Airport. A long line of presi-dents, prime ministers, heads of state and leaders of international compa-nies were welcomed and effi ciently transferred for their onward trans-port to Davos.
Again, large executive aircraft fea-tured strongly with A310s, A319s, B737s and Boeing BBJs, as well as corporate aircraft types ranging from Gulfstreams and Challengers down to the smaller Citation and LearJet aircraft.
Swissport Executive Aviation is proud to report that aircraft move-ments increased by 27% over the same event in 2004 – a very satisfying result for a team that worked so hard over many long hours.
In other news, the global network of 54 bases grew with the addition of Jomo Kenyatta International Air-port in Nairobi, Kenya. A variety of business aircraft operators use the airport, and many are crying out for a quality service for both passengers and crew.
We aim to use our wide experi-ence from elsewhere in the world to provide that quality service. We are also able to tap into the know-ledge gained by the wider Swissport Group, which has handled scheduled traffi c at Jomo Kenyatta Airport for several years.
Checkport is using its experience in document verifi cation to help clamp down on illegal migrants and human traffi cking.
On the evening of 12 March 2005, a passenger presented his travel docu-ments at Checkport Cameroon’s counter at Nsimalen International Airport in Yaounde. The passenger produced a ticket for a Swiss Inter-national Airlines fl ight to Zürich, a Cameroonian passport and a Swiss permanent residence permit indicat-ing that the person had legally resid-ed in the French part of Switzerland for many years.
All passengers are obligated to have their travel documents examined before being cleared to board a fl ight out of Cameroon. The reason for this is simple: at the beginning of 2005, the Swiss government began imposing heavy fi nes on the national carrier whenever it carried an inad-
equately documented passenger. Other countries had already imposed such sanctions against air carriers 20 years ago.
Intelligence agencies worldwide follow regional and global patterns of individuals that travel on, for instance, forged passports, counter-feit visas, stolen residence permits, or just on a genuine passport bor-rowed from somebody who looks similar.
The reasons for illegal migration are many, although a vast number of illegal migrants leave an underprivi-leged region in order to seek a better life in a more developed country.
It is believed that, in global terms, literally millions of people are pre-paring themselves for illegal travel, in turn generating a huge and will-ing market for facilitators. Consider this: human traffi cking today is worth
more than drug traffi cking! There-fore, it is no surprise that intelligence agencies have become increasingly active, often sharing information with, and even partially depending upon, non-governmental security companies.
Decade of experienceAnd this is where Checkport comes in. Looking back on more than a decade of experience in the fi eld of document fraud, Checkport has played its part by sharing information on trends with immigration authorities around the globe. Human traffi ckers are constant-ly resorting to new methods of defeat-ing document controls, which means it is vital to monitor trends and continu-ously update the know-how of agents who examine travel documents.
On the evening in question, Check-port Cameroon’s agents in Yaounde identifi ed the passenger as an impos-tor trying to board the fl ight bound
for Zürich. In this case the dissimi-larity between the photograph and the actual person was not diffi cult to spot. It would have been much more so if the passenger and the person he borrowed the documents from had been twin brothers.
Ravin Marday
P R O D U C T
Executive aviation on a roll
P R O D U C T
Raring to go: the new Swissport Executive Aviation team in Nairobi.
22 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
Swissport devoted an entire after-noon at this year’s International Ground Handling Conference in Bangkok to say a heartfelt thank you to its most important custom-ers.
It is an old adage that a business will only appreciate if you appreciate the business. For while everyone is quick to talk of ‘added value’ and ‘incre-mental revenues’, it is the impor-tance attached to customers that is the most crucial value of all.
And so it was that some 60 delegates from Swissport’s key customer car-riers were able to experience ‘live’
just what they mean to our company. The thank you event held at one of Thailand’s top gourmet restaurants, the Blue Elephant, offered a chance to learn the secrets of Asian cuisine from the master chefs in attendance.
As the pictures show, it was a delight-ful experience: the SGHAs and SLAs were left far behind as these ground handling specialists turned their hand to a totally different skill. And the whole event was rounded off with a personal Thai massage and an introduction to local culture and customs.
Stephan Beerli
VIP event in BangkokC U S T O M E R C O R N E R
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 23
Workshop/Training
Off the job
On the job
Case Study
PresentationExecutive Management
LearningControlling
Individual coaching
Divisional Head = Godfather Projects
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
3rd and 4th quarters 2005 1st and 2nd quarters 2006
Day 4 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10Day 5
Cu-stomer Focus
Strat-Impl.
Leader-ship
Leader-ship
Busin. Res.Orien.
Strat. Impl.
Global Persp.
Peop. Dev.
Peop. Dev.
CaseStudy
CaseStudy
Swiss- port
Swiss- port
Execut.Manag.
Leader-ship
Pres. Peop. Dev.
Con-trolling
Lear- ning
FamilyGroup
FamilyGroup
FamilyGroup
C A R E E R D E V E L O P M E N T
Swissport has always been com-mitted to the professional devel-opment of its management. And while this continues to include the training of local and regional managers, it also now involves the Swissport Academy – a new group-wide initiative designed to nurture the company’s most out-standing talent.
It is impossible to be a leading com-pany in any service business without having the best people. Similarly, a consistent, high quality product worldwide can only be achieved with a well-trained, highly motivated staff.
It is for these reasons that the nurtur-ing and development of management skills and capabilities is considered a crucial success factor in Swissport’s
ongoing growth strategy. Our aim is to identify and recruit the best and brightest management talents for every position of leadership.
But what does ‘best and brightest’ actually entail? While individual creativity is always encouraged, our experience is that a team effort often produces the best results. As a result, we stress teamwork in everything we do – with no room for those who put their personal interests ahead of that of the company or its clients.
By offering an inspiring, multicultur-al working environment that rewards excellence and opens exciting career opportunities, Swissport aims to strengthen its reputation as a world-class employer. And it goes without saying that opportunities will always
exist for managers of the right calibre not only from within Swissport’s own ranks, but also from elsewhere in the industry.
Developing peopleTo ensure the quality of our manage-ment, Swissport continues to conduct management potential assessments including an annual examination of the entire management develop-ment process. This involves building on existing training structures at our stations, in the individual companies and various divisions, particularly for the levels ‘employee’, ‘basic manage-ment’, and ‘middle management’.
In addition, members of execu-tive management undergo a group-wide screening process in an annual review. Individuals have an oppor-
tunity to become part of a group management pool if they receive the required amount of credits in the areas of special care, encourage-ment, education and development. Flexibility, the achievement of goals, strong social skills and personality also count highly.
The latest assessment of Swissport’s top talent has resulted in a group of 23 managers that will now continue their development by attending a one-week course at the inaugural Swissport Academy in September.
Congratulations to the following managers who will be attending this year’s Academy: Sandra Alfaiate; Tony Alvarez; Colin Baldwin; Tho-mas Bethke; Roy Braendly; Jeroen de Clercq; Andy Cruise; Christian Draeger; Andy Ernst; Steve Gomez; Mik Haertel; David Harman; Roland Hunn; George Hogan; Michel Jansen; Michael Kilcherr; Martin Kistler; Peter Kohl; Roger Larreur; Adrian Melliger; Andreas Mueller; Willy Ruf and Heath White.
The week will involve rigorous action and training followed by a series of case studies and presentations to group executive management. We wish all participants in the inaugu-ral Swissport Academy every suc-cess and look forward to welcoming other outstanding individuals to this programme in the future.
A C A D E M Y A C T I O N A N D T R A I N I N GS W I S S P O R T M O D E L
1. Recruitment
2. Development
3. Qualification
4. Promotion
SwissportPerformance
4.1.
2.3.
24 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
■ F R A N C E
Expanded collaboration with easyJet
UK low-cost carrier easyJet has entrusted the handling of its 3,600 fl ights per year at Paris CDG to Swissport France. The carrier’s deci-sion follows wider collaboration with Swissport at various locations, includ-ing Basel and London.
Earlier this year, Swissport announced a decision to dispose of its Toulouse and Nice stations to MAP Handling as it looked to focus on the main Paris CDG market. Swissport France offers passenger and operational services in Terminals One and Two and is a strong partner for a compre-hensive range of airport services in Terminal Three at Paris CDG.
These services are in addition to an extensive cargo business at eight sta-tions throughout France.
Following the sale of the Toulouse and Nice stations, Swissport France has also moved its head offi ce from Nice to Paris. MAP Handling acquired all of Swissport’s passenger handling business at the two stations, including all personnel and equip-ment, on 15 March. The sale does not include Swissport’s private executive aviation business in Nice.
Jean-Didier Savioz
■ I S R A E L
QAS spreads its wings
QAS Israel, a Swissport partner, has continued its goal of realising sus-tained organic growth, with much of the impetus coming from its recent move to a new terminal at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport.
Together with its partner, the Dan Hotels chain, QAS made a success-ful bid to operate two VIP executive lounges in the new terminal.
And, in addition to the standard VIP lounges, QAS also operates an additional facility called ‘Masada’ for use by VVIP passengers, private fl ights, diplomats and government members.
In the short time since the VIP lounges opened their doors under joint QAS and Dan Hotels manage-ment, customer feedback has been extremely positive. All are extremely pleased with the design of the loung-es, their locations and the overall comfort levels.
In other news, QAS has also begun a joint venture with Arcaffe – one of Israel’s leading cafe chains – and
now jointly operates two cafes in the new terminal. With QAS now jointly gaining more control over business activities in the new terminal, staff members have many additional career opportunities and a much wider choice of working environ-ments.
Yossi Raviv
■ A M S T E R D A M
Asiana fi rst at Schiphol
Swissport has secured the all-impor-tant launch full freighter customer for its new cargo handling operation at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
Since 1 June, Swissport has handled Asiana Airlines’ twice weekly B747-400 freighter service, which operates on a Seoul-Vienna-London-Amster-dam-Seoul routing.
“We have chosen Swissport as our cargo handling partner because they share the same values and have shown they take our concerns seri-ously,” explained JS Kim, Regional Manager, Asiana Airlines.
Schiphol is Europe’s third largest air cargo hub, after Frankfurt and Paris. The airport handled more than 1.5 million tonnes of airfreight in 2004 and anticipates further growth of 5% in 2005.
Having fi rst obtained a cargo han-dling licence at Schiphol in late March, Swissport expects to secure several additional contracts at the airport over the coming weeks.
Jan van Anrooy
■ U L D M A N A G E M E N T
Icelandair selects Unitpool
ULD control and pooling specialist Unitpool has signed a long-term con-tract with Icelandair for the provi-
S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E
Network News and ViewsNetwork News and Views
The sleek new lounge concept has gone down well with QAS customers.
Unitpool’s suite of ULD management options continues to attract carriers.
easyJet and Swissport have stepped up their relatonship (photo: easyJet).
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 25
S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E
sion of comprehensive ULD services. The contract follows a similar deal struck with Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat in March.
“We are delighted to have attracted the attention of Icelandair and wel-come the carrier as our latest pooling partner,” commented Phil Hill, CEO Unitpool. “Icelandair was looking for an option that would enable it to focus on its core business, while being able to outsource ULD requirements to a single vendor.”
The Icelandic carrier is currently developing its fl eet; it recently added three B767s and has also made a com-mitment to acquire Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner.
In other news, Unitpool has reached an agreement with Kuwait-based National Aviation Services (NAS) to act as general sales agents for Kuwait and Iraq. NAS offer an extensive range of airport services in the Mid-dle East region, including ground handling and logistics.
Additionally Unitpool has appointed Global Aircraft Products and Sup-ports (GAPS) to handle ULD repairs in Dubai. The two companies are also reviewing an extension of the agree-ment to cover other locations in the region.
Dani Sudan, Philip Hill
■ S I N G A P O R E
Early start at Changi
Ground handling services have been launched at Singapore Changi Air-port four months ahead of schedule, thanks in large part to the decision by SWISS to become launch customer at Swissport’s latest station in Asia. Initially due to begin operations in July, Swissport began handling SWISS in March. It is now the third ground handler at the airport hav-ing secured a 10-year full operating licence in 2004 (see Swissreporter, issue 14).
The early launch is considered an important fi rst step towards becom-ing a signifi cant player in the Sin-gapore ground handling market. In 2004, Changi enjoyed a record 30.4 million passengers, up 23.1% on the
previous year. Similarly, a record 1.78 million tonnes of cargo was trans-ported – a year-on-year increase of 10.2%.
Peter Kohl
■ A S I A
China offi ce opens
The early start-up at Singapore Changi is not the only good news from Swissport’s growing network in Asia. On 1 May, Swissport opened its fi rst offi cial representative offi ce in China – in Shanghai – so further strengthening its presence in local and regional markets. Swissport now aims to expand and intensify its exist-ing contacts in China and seek and develop new partnership opportuni-ties over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Unitpool – Swissport’s global container management sub-sidiary – opened a new offi ce in Bangkok on 16 May. The operation is centred on a team of IT specialists who will provide global professional ULD data management services.
Stephan Beerli
■ G R E E C E
Big year, bigger results
Swissport Lamda Hellas’s perform-ance in 2004 more than lived up to its strong reputation – quite an achieve-ment considering the increased pas-senger numbers, fl ights and cargo during what was a hugely important year for Greece as a whole.
Contrary to what some might believe, the post Olympic Games period was anything but dull. In April, we wel-comed LTU into our family of airline customers. Swissport now handles the German carrier in Athens, Thes-saloniki and Heraklion. As of late March, the Thessaloniki station has also provided handling services to British Airways.
Meanwhile, and following the han-dling of an increased volume of
private fl ights by the executive avia-tion team, Swissport also entered an exclusive cooperation with Ath-ens Aviation Signature (AAS), the biggest representation agency in Greece.
In addition, Swissport Hellas at Ath-ens International Airport today took delivery of three brand new Volvo S-80 luxury vehicles to transfer all pas-
sengers arriving through its executive aviation facilities. Volvo is dedicated to developing their brand presence here in Greece and chose Swissport as its partner after careful evalua-tion. Phil McGrane, GM and CEO of Swissport Hellas stated: “This is a prominent step for both Swissport Hellas and Volvo – pioneering! It is a terrifi c opportunity for both brands to demonstrate their quality of serv-ice as well as their various product portfolios surrounding Executive Aviation.”
In other news, the Swissport Execu-tive Lounge in Athens has undergone a successful decorative facelift, with valuable sponsorship from Habitat. The modernised interior now offers a relaxed but elegant ambience for all passengers to enjoy.
Finally, franchise partner Swissport Hellas Sud was successful in its bid for the long awaited ground handling licences on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu (see page six). Angeliki Athanassiadou
■ I T A L Y
Italian portfolio extended
Swissport has added to its service port-folio in Italy following the launch of passenger handling operations by its new Italian subsidiary at Rome Fiu-micino and Milan Malpensa airports.
However, the Italian market is far from an unknown quantity for Swiss-port, with cargo handling services already provided at the airports of Florence, Milan Malpensa and Milan Segrate.
Initially, the new passenger handling activities will extend to station man-agement, supervision and airport ticketing services at both airports. But, by expanding the operating net-work, and in light of the imminent deregulation of the local market, Swissport hopes to extend its serv-ices to further business areas in the medium-term.
Signifi cant interest has already been shown, with several reputed carriers keen to collaborate through their Italian operations. In addition, and as part of the global commercial agreement with SWISS, Swissport Italy will shortly take over the carrier’s entire ground organisa-tions at Milan and Rome, together with the carrier’s 15 personnel. Simon Widmer, an experienced Swissport executive, will head the new opera-tion.
Simon Widmer
■ U K
UK market penetration
In March, Swissport was awarded the third handling licence at Glasgow Airport, making the city its fi rst sta-tion in Scotland.
Glasgow is Swissport’s seventh base in the UK and the busiest airport in Scotland with some 8.6 million pas-sengers per year. The license covers full aircraft handling, as well as line maintenance and fuelling.
The move into Glasgow is just one part of a deeper penetration into the UK market in recent months. Else-where, Swissport has been appointed as supervisory agents to SWISS at London City Airport and has been awarded a major contract to handle First Choice Airways at London Gat-wick, marking a fi rst move into the airport’s North Terminal.
Finally, in January, Swissport began offering into-plane fuelling for all carriers at Newcastle International Airport. The new operation is the
The Swissport pioneers line up at Singa-pore Changi.
Swissport now has an offi cial representative offi ce in the dynamic city of Shanghai (photo: CNTO).
Glasgow becomes Swissport’s seventh UK station (photo: BAA library).
26 Swissreporter – The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005
fi rst Swissport fuelling station outside the US. Swissport’s activities at New-castle also include maintaining and operating the fuel storage system.
Nigel Daniel
■ S O U T H A F R I C A
Shareholder change
As part of its growth and diversifi -cation strategy, Swissport signed an agreement in February to sell a 49% holding in Swissport South Africa to the Mvelaphanda Group.
The transaction teams Swissport with an attractive local partner that is excellently equipped to support the further development of opera-tions on the African continent. The overall operational management of Swissport South Africa remains in Swissport’s hands.
The agreement, which entered into effect on 1 March, was signed in Johannesburg by Mvelaphanda Hold-ings Chairman, Tokyo Sexwale, and Joseph In Albon, President & CEO, Swissport International.
Willy Hallauer
Jubilant Johannesburg
After years of planning, Swissport South Africa is now the proud opera-tor of a brand new cargo handling facility at Johannesburg Interna-tional Airport. The warehouse, which opened in late 2004, has the capacity to house in excess of 120,000 tonnes of cargo per annum.
The project to develop a new cargo handling warehouse and associated facilities at Johannesburg began sever-al years ago with Cargo Service Cent-er SA, and has now fi nally reached its end with Swissport Cargo Services.
The fi nished product comprises a 6,300-square-metre cargo warehouse, extensive offi ce accommodation, boardroom facilities for customer airlines and 1,200 square metres of covered stand area.
One of the facility’s many benefi ts is that Swissport has its own landside access, with staff and customer park-ing within the confi nes of the perime-ter – itself controlled and secured by Checkport SA. A swipe card access control system was implemented early in 2005 to expedite driver wait-ing times. In addition, the entire area is under constant surveillance by a bank of CCTV cameras monitored from the control room by Checkport security personnel.
The facility has 12 landside accept-ance or delivery doors and eight air-
side doors, with two vehicle ramps on the landside. Meanwhile, X-ray facilities are available for the screen-ing of non-regulated cargo, while an extensive roller bed system can han-dle up to 35 airline pallets simultane-ously, with two quick acceptance or delivery thoroughfares. Two weigh-bridges, with a capacity of 15 tonnes each, as well as two additional scales for small shipment test weights, have also been installed at convenient locations.
Elsewhere, two cold room facilities, one fi tted with a roller bed system to accept 18 perishable pallets and 10 containers, and the second fi tted with racking with 54 Euro skid positions for general cargo, ensure that all per-ishable cargo is handled as specifi -cally required.
Chemicals and dangerous goods are handled in separate rooms, while live animals are accommodated in two animal hotels prior to fl ight depar-ture or whilst waiting for state veteri-nary clearance. Colin Baldwin
■ B R A Z I L
Working for the less fortunate
Children living in poorer communities near to many of Brazil’s airports have been given an opportunity to step out of the poverty trap thanks to a pro-gramme being run by the government run airport operator, and subsequent-ly embraced by Swissport Brazil.
Two years ago, Infraero, which man-ages all airport infrastructure in Brazil, began a social programme of education and welfare aimed at
giving children a fi rst job and help-ing steer them away from violence, drugs and life on the street. On hear-ing of this initiative, Swissport Bra-zil spoke with Infraero at its Bra-silia headquarters and agreed to get involved.
Now, each time that Swissport has a job opportunity that fi ts an Infraero child’s profi le, resumes for individu-als are submitted.
“We found out about the social programmes and saw a wonder-ful opportunity,” explained Lician Mello, CEO, Swissport Brazil. “We could help the airport communities, which are also our responsibility, while at the same time get closer to the biggest Brazilian airport organi-zation.”
Meg Smith
■ C A R I B B E A N
Aruba cool facility
On a sunny January day in Aruba, Edison Briessen, Minister of Tour-ism & Transportation for Aruba, offi ciated the opening of a new cool facility at Swissport Cargo Services, Aruba.
Rudy Rodriguez, Station Manager Aruba, and Gerhard Goselink, Man-aging Director, Swissport Dutch Caribbean, thanked local supporters and long-time customers – including KLM, Aruba Airport and Arubian Customs – for their past and contin-ued support.
The new cool facility is crucial for Aruba’s hub function in the impor-tant perishables business line. Today,
many tonnes of fl owers are trans-ported from Columbia and Ecuador via Aruba to Europe and beyond. Perishables transport is one of the fastest growing businesses within the air cargo market and a sector that Swissport Cargo Services supports strongly. The new facility, which cools at temperatures from 2–8 degrees Celsius, can handle up to nine airline pallets and is expected to help attract additional perishables and tempera-
ture-sensitive cargo volume to the airport.
Gerhard Goselink
■ B E L G I U M /L U X E M B O U R G
Benelux boom
Swissport Cargo Services Belgium plans to double its capacity at Brus-sels Airport by acquiring a 7,000-square-metre airside building that will enable it to offer a better and broader range of services to its customers.
In addition to the benefi ts of direct ramp access, the new building’s per-ishables centre should enable Swiss-port Brussels to attract further busi-ness volume. The building became fully operational on 1 June.
Elsewhere, Swissport has tripled its cargo handling volumes in Luxem-bourg over the last two years, mak-ing it an attractive alternative to the dominant home carrier. Major customers, such as KLM and China Airlines, as well as numerous smaller charter carriers already entrust the handling of their cargo to Swissport in Luxembourg.
David Harman
■ U S A
Hawaii fuels into-plane growth
Swissport North America has secured an into-plane fueling contract from Aloha Airlines at Honolulu Airport in Hawaii – the fi rst step in a wider plan to seek further fueling opportu-nities in the islands.
Swissport will begin operations with 13 employees providing services for an average of 62 fl ights per day serv-ing both inter-island and mainland fl ights.
As a native of Hawaii, Earl Estrella, Executive Vice President, Swissport Fueling, has taken a special interest in this new operation and has been instrumental in its development. The hope is that United Airlines will also turn to Swissport in Honolulu as the carrier explores the outsourcing of into-plane operations as part of its wider cost-cutting measures.
Elsewhere, in Fort Myers – where Swissport operates the fuel storage consortium and into-plane operation – the company has also been asked to enter a new line of business that is closely aligned, but not identical to its core business. The rental car com-panies at the airport have formed a consortium to consolidate the han-dling of unleaded fuel for their fl eets
S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E
Swissport Brazil and Infraero sign up for the job opportunity collaboration.
Swissport’s new facility at Johannesburg.
The Swissport customer journal ■ July 2005 – Swissreporter 27
N E W S T I C K E R
S W I S S P O R T W O R L D W I D E
✈ B U S I N E S S D E V E L O P M E N TS W I T Z E R L A N D
Swissport has taken over pushback and deicing activities at Zürich and Geneva airports from SR Technics Switzerland. The move ties in with an overall strategy to offer customers single-source access for all ground handling activities. The operational handover took place on 1 January and included the transfer to Swissport of all 51 of the SR Technics staff involved.
SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express have concluded a joint handling agreement with Swissport Geneva – a fi rst since the two carri-ers joined forces under the same holding structure.
B R A Z I L
Swissport Brazil has renewed service contracts with Martinair, Finnair, Air Europa and Holland Excell. CSA Czech Airlines, which began operations to Fortaleza in November 2004, is another carrier to choose Swissport.
H U N G A R Y
Swissport Cargo Services Magyarország began handling opera-tions for trucked and fl own freight at Budapest Airport in mid-Decem-ber last year, in what is Swissport’s fi rst cargo operation in Eastern Europe. SCS Deutschland will supervise the new Hungarian operation.
✈ A W A R D SE U R O P E
In February, Swissport received three awards at the Handling Agent Award event 2004, organised by Belgium’s SN Brussels Airlines. Swissport won in the following categories: ‘Most excess baggage rev-enue’, given to the Paris XPG station (train check-in at Paris CDG oper-ated by Swissport France); ‘Best airport ticketing offi ce’, won by Swiss-port Geneva; and ‘Most dedicated station’, won by Swissport Nairobi. Swissport would like to thank SN Brussels Airlines for this recognition.
U S A
Swissport Americas stations at Anchorage, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington Dulles, Sanford and JFK all received the FAA Certifi cate of Excellence Diamond Award 2004. The Diamond Award is the most prestigious FAA award given to an employer in recognition of its support and participation in the FAA Aircraft Maintenance Techni-cian Award Program. In addition, 117 Aircraft Maintenance Technicians received FAA Award Certifi cates.
G R E E C E
Swissport Hellas Sud has got the award as the best company in the services sector by the President of the Greek Parliament, Mrs Anna Psarouda Benaki. The ceremony took place at Dimokritos Institute (Athens, Agia Paraskevi Area) on June 8, 2005.
✈ C E R T I F I C A T I O N S
Congratulations to the following Swissport stations that have suc-cessfully passed the ISO 9001 certifi cation audits since September 2004:
– Toronto– Paris CDG T2– Frankfurt– Antwerp– Los Angeles– San Francisco– Chicago O’Hare– Atlanta– Lima– Manila– Port Elizabeth– Liège SCS– Vienna– Guadalajara
A total of 66 Swissport stations have now been awarded ISO 9001 certifi cation.
✈and have hired Swissport to manage the new storage facility and distribu-tion system.
While it is not jet fuel, the daily in-ventory requirements are identical to that of Swissport’s core business and it is a great add on to the base operation. In addition, the rental car companies are very interested in this approach to their fuel needs. After all, it greatly reduces the environmental exposure as they have only one pro-fessionally managed custodian of their fuel instead of having separate fuel storage for each company.
Swissport is extremely interested in developing this as a new business line as the rental car companies move to improve both their economics and their environmental exposure.
Finally, in Seattle, Swissport Fueling will commence an into-plane opera-tion with the start-up of the new hydrant distribution line at the air-port in late July. While the date is not yet set in stone, Swissport expects to begin operations by 1 August barring any unforeseen construction or test-ing delays.
Swissport Fueling, which has operat-ed the fuel storage facility at Seattle for two years, will start with a modest 35 fl ights per day, but hopes to grow that number as the carriers become accustomed to having a second oper-ator on the fi eld for into-plane serv-ices.
Jim Keough
■ P E O P L E
New commercial head
The Board of Directors and Execu-tive Management of Swissport Inter-national have appointed Nigel Dan-iel to head the Commercial Division of the Swissport Group.
Nigel took up his new role as EVP Commercial on 1 June following three successful years leading UK-based ground handler Groundstar.
Swissport acquired the company in April 2004 to further strengthen and expand its position in the UK market. Swissport is now active at seven UK airports where its 2,800 personnel provide full ground handling, fueling and supervision services.
Prior to heading up Groundstar, Nigel held several leading executive positions within the aviation indus-try. As EVP Commercial, Nigel now bears overall responsibility not only for all sales and other commercial aspects (excluding cargo) within the Swissport Group, but also all avia-tion security, executive aviation, GSE maintenance and product develop-ment activities.
He succeeds Simon Lehmann, who left Swissport on 31 May to take up a CEO role at a leading provider in the Swiss leisure industry.
Tina Barbour, who has been with Groundstar for three years as Opera-tions Director, succeeds Nigel Daniel as CEO of Swissport UK.
Tina and her excellent UK team will continue to provide stability and a quality service to customers and develop the strong foundations that have already been put in place. Stephan Beerli
Fresh face at SCS Americas
Swissport Cargo Services has made an important addition to its Cargo Americas team. In March, Hernan Galindo joined as VP Cargo, Latin America & The Caribbean.
Hernan brings more than 30 years of diverse air cargo experience to the team, having previously worked with Avianca, Aerofl oral and AvGroup among others.
Meg Smith
■ A W A R D Global Ground Handling Company of the Year
On May 31, Swissport International has been named Global Ground Handling Company of the Year for 2005 by the Institute of Transport Management. The distinction con-fi rms Swissport’s leading role in the dynamic international airport serv-ices market.
As it did last year, the Institute of Transport Management, an impartial London-based market research body, based its 2005 annual awards to the world‘s leading transport and logis-tics companies on over 500 interviews conducted throughout the industry. Swissport successfully retained the title it earned in 2004 as the world’s best ground handler, staving off com-petition from all other major airport services providers. Stephan Beerli
Nigel Daniel
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 43 812 2779, fax +41 43 321 2901
A S I A / M I D D L E E A S T /A F R I C ASwissport International Ltd., Dr. Ludwig Bertsch, EVP Asia, Middle East, Africa & Cargo,P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport,[email protected],tel. +41 43 812 2694, fax +41 43 321 2901
A L G E R I ASwissport Algérie, Claude Badan, General Director,Algerian Business Center, Pins Maritimes/ Mohammadia, Alger, [email protected],tel. +213 21 891 010, fax +213 21 891 011(operational as from end of 2005)
R E P R E S E N TAT I O N F O R C H I N ASwissport China, Shanghai Representative Offi ce,Daniel Jettel, Asian Business Development Manager, 8F/F02 Shanghai Mart, 2299 Yan An West Road, CN-Shanghai 200336, [email protected], tel. +86 (21) 5240 1118 ext. 2509, fax +86 (21) 5240 0007
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, Jeroen de Clercq, CEO,Jomo Kenyatta Intl. Airport/Nairobi Cargo Center,P.O. Box 19177, 00501 Embakasi Nairobi, Kenya, [email protected],tel. +254 20 823 328, fax +254 20 824 754
K O R E ASwissport Korea Ltd., J.W. Kim, President & CEO, 2069 Passenger Terminal, Incheon International Airport, 2851 Woonseo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, 400-340, Korea, [email protected],tel. +82 2 2657 6150, +82 32 743 2528
T H E P H I L I P P I N E SSwissport Philippines, Inc., Juan C. Paraiso III, President & CEO, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Pasay City, The Philippines, [email protected], tel. +63 2 852 9397, fax +63 2 852 9397
S I N G A P O R ESwissport Singapore Pte. Ltd., Peter Kohl, Presi-dent & CEO, Unit 041-60B-01, Terminal 1, Changi Airport, P.O. Box 105, Singapore 918144, [email protected], tel. +65 6542 3342, fax +65 6542 9596
S O U T H A F R I C ASwissport South Africa (Pty) Ltd., John Murray, President & CEO, P.O. Box 5511, Johan-nesburg Intl. Airport 1627, South Africa, [email protected], tel. +27 11 928 8527, fax +27 11 928 8541
S U D A NSwissport Sudan, Adil Ali Mufti, CEO, Baladiya Street, Tadamon Tower, Flat No 708, P.O. Box 13051, Khartoum, Sudan, [email protected],tel. +249 183 769713/772954, fax +249 183 769712
TA N Z A N I ADAHACO, Gaudence K. Temu, Vice President, P.O. Box 18043, Dar es Salaam Intl. Airport, Tanzania, [email protected],tel. +255 22 284 4610/14, fax +255 22 284 4343
EUROPE & SWITZERLANDSwissport International Ltd., Urs Sieber, EVPDivision Europe & Switzerland, P.O. Box,CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected],tel. +41 43 812 2310, fax +41 43 321 2875
S W I T Z E R L A N DZürichSwissport Zürich, Marcel Hungerbühler, Senior Vice President, P.O. Box, CH-8058 Zürich-Air-port, [email protected], tel. +41 43 812 6170, fax +41 43 812 9195
A U S T R I ASwissport Austria GmbH, Renate Mackay,General Manager, Building 645, 1300 Vienna-Airport, 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, Brucargo Building 721, 1931 Zaventem, Belgium,[email protected],tel. +32 2 753 0510, fax +32 2 753 0519
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-Rudolf Moser, GM Ground Handling, Germany, [email protected],Wanheimerstr. 45, 40472 Düsseldorf, Germanytel. +49 211 43 71 3110, fax +49 211 43 71 3111
Swissport Cargo Services Deutschland GmbH, Toralf Sonntag, General Manager Cargo Services,Cargo City Süd, Building 558C, 60549 Frankfurt, Germany, [email protected],tel. +49 69 219 79710, fax +49 69 219 79799
S. Stuttgart Ground Services GmbH, Klaus Knöpfl e, General Manager, Flughafen Stuttgart, P.O. Box 230411, 70624 Stuttgart, Germany, knoepfl [email protected],tel. +49 711 948 2900, fax +49 711 948 2901
G R E E C ESwissport Hellas S.A., Phil McGrane, General Manager, Athens International Airport “Elefth-erios Venizelos”, 19019 Spata, Greece, [email protected], tel. +30 210 353 7256, fax +30 210 353 7821, (also for SKG)
Swissport Hellas Sud, Georges Peter, General Manager, Airport Nikos Kazantzakis, 71601 Heraklion, Crete, [email protected],tel. +30 281 0336 970, fax +30 281 0336 971(also for Corfu and Rhodes)
H U N G A RYSwissport Cargo Services Magyarorszàg kft., Balàzs Enyedi, Station Manager, Airport Business Park, Lôrinci ùt 59.C3, 2220 Vecsès, Hungary, [email protected], tel. +36 2955 4950, fax +36 2955 4944
I TA LYSwissport Cargo Services Italy, Sergio Squeri, General Manager, Via R. Morandi 76, 20090 Segrate, Italy, [email protected],tel. +39 02 2692 0271, fax +39 02 2692 0257
Swissport Italy S.r.l., Simon Widmer, General Manager, P.O. Box, BE, CH-8058 Zürich-Airport, [email protected], tel +41 43 812 3458, fax +41 1 811 1056
L U X E M B O U R GSwissport Cargo Services Luxembourg, Guy Ghysels, President & CEO, Cargo Center West/Findel Airport, 2889 Luxembourg, Luxembourg, [email protected], tel. +352 26 426 2703, fax +352 26 426 2702
T H E N E T H E R L A N D SSwissport Ground Handling, Wouter R. Van Ginkel,Station Manager, Havenmeesterweg 55, 1118 CB Schiphol, The Netherlands, [email protected], tel. +31 20 316 3004, fax 31 20 316 3005
Swissport Cargo Services, The Netherlands B.V.,Jan van Anrooy, General Manager, Uiverweg 2 – 6,1118 DS Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands, [email protected], tel. +31 20 316 3731, fax +31 20 316 3733
P O L A N DSwissport Poland, Witold Michalowski, General Manager, Ul. Zwirki i Wiguri 1, 02-143 Warsaw, Poland, [email protected], tel. +48 22 650 4527, fax +48 22 650 3599
R U S S I ASwissport Cargo Services Russia, Natalia Fedorova, General Manager, Pilotov 32A,Aviagorodok, St. Petersburg, Russia, [email protected], tel./fax +7 812 718 7591
S PA I NSwissport Handling 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, Ugur Dogan, General Manager & CEONurettin Oektem Sk. No. 2, 80260 Sisli-Istanbul, Turkey, [email protected], tel. +90 212 233 2422 / 111, fax +90 212 233 38 53
U N I T E D K I N G D O MSwissport UK Ltd., Tina Barbour, CEO Ground-star House, Freight Village, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 8BH, [email protected]. +44 191 214 8121, fax +44 191 214 8014
Swissport Cargo Services, Paul Arnold, Managing Director, Bedfont Road, London Heathrow Airport, Staines, Middlesex, TW197NL, United Kingdom, [email protected], tel. +44 1784 266 660, fax +44 1784 266 262
S W I S S P O R T A M E R I C A SSwissport Americas, Erich Bodenmann, EVP Division Americas, 45025 Aviation Drive, Suite 350, Dulles, VA 20166-7557, USA,[email protected], tel. +1 703 742 4301, fax +1 703 742 4321
A R G E N T I N ASwissport Argentina S.A., Hugo Schreier, CEO, Intl. Airport Ezeiza, Suite 314 Ministro Pistarini, 1802 Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina, [email protected], tel. +54 11 5480 4433, fax +54 11 5480 4431
A R U B ASwissport Cargo Services – Aerocargo N.V.Rudy Rodriguez, Station Manager, Reina Beatrix Airport, Cargo Building A, Aruba, tel. +297 582 2470 ext 102, fax +297 583 0622, [email protected]
B R A Z I LSwissport Brasil Ltda., Lician de Mello,CEO, Av. Vinte de Janeiro s/nr, Terminal 1-Setor Azul, Sala 1651A, RJ Pista CER 21941-970,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, [email protected],tel. +55 21 3398 5934, fax +55 21 3398 5932
C A N A D ASwissport Canada Handling Inc., Erich Bodenmann, President, 6500 Silver Dart Drive, Core G, Mississauga, Ontario L5P 1A2, Canada, [email protected],tel. +1 703 742 4301, fax +1 703 742 4321
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 2270, fax +1 809 508 6543
H O N D U R A SSwissport GBH Honduras, Miguel Sierra, General Manager, Nueva Terminal de Carga Of. 301, Apto. Internacional “Ramón Villeda Morales”, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, [email protected],tel. +504 668 8880, fax +504 668 8884
M E X I C OSwissport de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Antonio Ferrer Bernat, President & CEO, Antiguo Camino a Texcoco s/n, Col. Penon de los Banos, C.P. 15520, Deleg. Venustiano Carranza, Mexico D.F., [email protected], tel. +52 55 5784 8240, Fax +52 55 5786 8211
N E T H E R L A N D A N T I L L E SSwissport Cargo Services – Aerocargo N.V. Gerhard Goselink, General Manager,Swissport Cargo Building, Curaçao Int. Airport, Curaçao, Neth. Antilles, tel. +599 9868 2244ext 200, fax +599 9869 5890, [email protected]
P E R USwissport GBH Peru, Alberto Huby, General Manager, Av. Elmer Faucett 4800 Callao, Lima, Peru, [email protected],tel. +511 411 6800, fax +511 411 6820
U R U G U AYSwissport Uruguay, Eduardo Carneglia, CEOCarrasco International AirportUY-Montevideo, [email protected]. +59 82 600 9784, fax +59 82 600 9254
U S ASwissport USA, Erich Bodenmann, President & CEO (for full address pls see Swissport Americas)
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 Cargo Services, L.P., Steve Tamm, Vice President Americas, Cargo Building 151, JFK Int. Airport, Jamaica, NY 11430, USA, [email protected],tel. +1 718 244 5500, fax +1 718 995 5139
Swissport CFE, Fred Campbell,President (ad interim), 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 7213, fax +1 310 410 5362
V E N E Z U E L ASwissport Cargo Services Venezuela,Oscar Lehmann, General Manager, Ed. Pascal Torre B Local 4B, Planta Baja, Av. RomuloGallegos, Santa Eduvigis Caracas, Venezuela, [email protected], tel. +58 212 285 4060,fax +58 212 285 8491
AV I AT I O N S E C U R I T YCheckport, Louis Seliner, CEO, P.O. Box, 8058 Zürich-Airport, Switzerland, [email protected], tel.+41 43 812 2467, fax +41 43 321 2874(Contact for Switzerland, ABV, CPT, DLA, JNB, LOS, NBO, NSI, SSG, PHC)
U L D M A N A G E M E N TUnitpool AG, Philip Hill, ManagingDirector, Steinackerstrasse 2,8302 Kloten, Switzerland, [email protected],tel. +41 43 255 4144, fax +41 43 255 4142
S W I S S P O R T E X E C U T I V EAV I AT I O NSwissport International Ltd., Alan George,VP Executive Aviation, P.O. Box, 8058 Zürich-Airport, Switzerland,[email protected],tel. +41 43 812 3980, fax +41 43 321 2874
C O N T A C T S
I M P R E S S U M
Published by:Corporate Communications, Swissport International Ltd.
Publisher:Stephan Beerli, Vice President Marketing & Communications, Swissport International [email protected]
Contributors to this issue:Joseph In Albon, Jan van Anrooy, Angeliki Athanassiadou, Claude Badan, Colin Baldwin, Stephan Beerli, Nigel Daniel, Jacques Delessert, Alan George, Markus Gloor, Gerhard Goselink, Peter Graf, Willy Hallauer, David Harman, Philip Hill, Jim Keough, JW Kim, Peter Kohl, Paul Marsman, Georges Peter, Dani Sudan, Yossi Raviv, Richard Rowe, Dirk Jan de Roo, Mark Salathe, Jean-Didier Savioz, Andrea Seehafer, Louis Seliner, Meg Smith, Juvenal Tavares , Heath White, Simon Widmer
Translations:Paul Day
Layout and printing:DAZ, Druckerei Albisrieden AG, Zürich
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