Scandinavian presence bolstered
Swissport International has acquired Finnish ground handling company Inter Handling and its sister company Inter Handling Turku in order to accelerate the group’s expansion in this important and promising market.

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

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

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

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

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