Swissport To Sell Its Ground Handling Operations In France
Swissport France Holding SAS and Servisair SAS, both part of the Swissport Group, the world’s leading provider of ground and cargo handling services to the aviation industry, announce the intention to sell its ground handling activities in France to GH Team. On July 3rd and 4th, Swissport France Holding SAS and Servisair SAS informed the staff representatives of the four companies affected on this project and the consultation process with the Works Councils is now under way.
The planned sale affects activities that are currently carried out within Swissport France, Swissport Services CDG, Servisair France and Héraclès, but does not include Swissport Cargo Services or Swissport Executive Aviation Nice, which will remain part of Swissport. This sale is a strategic decision for Swissport, taking into account in particular the growing economic pressure on ground handling activities particularly in Paris CDG.
GH Team, which is co-chaired by Christophe Le Borgne, the current CEO of Swissport in France, and Adrian Melliger, who until very recently held the position of Senior Vice President Europe South (six countries including France) for Swissport, made Swissport an offer to acquire its ground handling activities in France.
GH Team, for its part, aims to perpetuate and expand its current activities with an ambitious development plan in a changing market that makes increased agility and adaptability essential.
Dany Nasr, Senior Vice-President of Swissport International commented: “It lately was difficult for our Ground Handling operations in France to be profitable, and efforts to turn the station back into profitability have not been as successful as planned. As a responsible economic player, we have focused on finding a satisfactory solution, and the project led by GH Team combines all the necessary conditions: a solid business plan, and strong knowledge and expertise.”
Swissport International Ltd. is the world´s largest provider of ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry. The company provides ground services on behalf of some 700 client-companies and handles around 224 million passengers and 3.9 million flights per year. The company operates 120 warehouses and moves approx. 4.0 million tonnes of cargo. With a workforce of around 55,000 personnel, Swissport is active at more than 260 stations in 45 countries across five continents, and generates annual consolidated operating revenue of CHF 3 billion. www.swissport.com
GH Team is a company specializing in the provision of ground handling services. Established and headed up by Christophe Le Borgne and Adrian Melliger, both entrepreneurs with expertise in the aviation sector, GH Team aims to develop and provide innovative services with high value-added to ensure a smooth passenger experience from check-in to boarding.
