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SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016
AGS
AIRLINE
GROUND
SERVICES
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
FORSYTH BLACK: GROUND O CANADA! HOSTING WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY
IN CHARGE HANDLING AT 29TH IATA GROUND OF GROUND
AT MENZIES FINNAIR HANDLING CONFERENCE SERVICE PROVIDERS
Your gateway to local experts ground.net is an exciting pan-European ground services alliance. By uniting local experts in an innovative multi-station network, we provide customer airlines with streamlined access to a full palette of high-quality, customized passenger, ramp and cargo services. Members of ground.net are AeroGround, Goldair Handling, Airline Assistance Switzerland, GH Italia and Aviator. www.ground.net
EDITOR’S LETTER | SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016
LETTER FROM AGS
AIRLINE
GROUND
SERVICES
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016
THE EDITOR
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
FORSYTH BLACK: GROUND O CANADA! HOSTING WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY
IN CHARGE HANDLING AT 29TH IATA GROUND OF GROUND
AT MENZIES FINNAIR HANDLING CONFERENCE SERVICE PROVIDERS
T
his issue of Airline Ground Services was put together by
its team of editorial and commercial staff in time to be PARVEEN RAJA
Publisher
distributed in Toronto at the 29th IATA Ground Handling parveen@evaint.com
Conference, the premier annual ground handling industry
conference. In a world of Facebook, Twitter and Skype, MEGAN RAMSAY
Editor
it might seem anachronistic that people still take the time to travel meganlouiseramsay@gmail.com
hundreds of miles to meet face to face.
Whether or not US writer Mark Twain ever said that reports of his HARLEY KHAN
death were greatly exaggerated when he read his own obituary in a Head of Commercial
harley@evaint.com
newspaper, the same could be said of industry conferences.
The old ad sales adage is that ‘people buy people’. In terms of TAMSIN ROBERTS
conferences, ‘people meet people’. Meeting old friends on stands, Events Coordinator
tamsin@evaint.com
or making new friends in the conference hall, are the keys to why
businesses still invest time and money in a presence at an international SHOBHANA PATEL
conference. You might even get a juicy order by turning up. Head of Finance
shobi@evaint.com
In this issue, we look at Canada, the host country for the IATA
Ground Handling Conference. We track down Forsyth Black, the new CHARLOTTE WILLIS
broom at the head of menzies aviation. Fancy pitching to Finnair to be Events and Circulation
charlotte@evaint.com
a new contractor? We show you how.
We consider the current state of play for European ground SHELDON PINK
handlers, two decades after the EU liberalised the market. In 2014, Creative Director
sheldon@evaint.com
London Heathrow Terminal Two opened with a new approach to
baggage handling. Some two years after the opening, we ask how it has Address changes and subscription orders to:
worked out. circulation@evaint.com
ISSN 2040-476X
Alongside this, we have our usual round-up of items that are of
interest to our ground handling readers. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
We have begun to pack our bags for Toronto. It might be old David Smith, Eugene Gerden
and Martin Courtney
fashioned, but we still like the face-to-face opportunities such a
conference provides. Q
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www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016 Airline Ground Services 1
CONTENTS | SUMMER/AUTUMN 2016
CONTENTS
1 Editor’s Letter
4
4 How Finnair is handled
6 Pegasus: Turkish delight for Pegasus Airlines
8 Pegasus workshop
12 Forsyth Black Interview: new opportunities at Menzies
14 European ground handlers round-up
20 Catering: Gourmet dining at 35,000ft
26 ground.net: New network ideas
30 Runway queues: Cutting them down
32 LHR T2: Common use works
26 34 Ukraine: $200 million modernisation bill
40 37 ;BlSF(SPVOEJOHMPTUMVHHBHF
38 Toronto and Canada: competitive ground handling
40 "GlOJ*OUFSOFUPG5IJOHT
48 Industry update
51 AGS Directory
2 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
From the Emerging Market Experts
comes the launch of a brand new ground handling station
NAS launches 16th station worldwide & the 4th station in East Africa
16
NAS Stations
50,000+
Flights Handled Annually
300,000+
Tons of Cargo Handled Annually
8,000,000+
Passengers Handled Annually
Kuwait, Jordan, Ivory Coast, Sudan, India, Afghanistan, Tanzania
National Aviation Services
Website: www.nas.aero Email: info@nas.aero
INTERVIEW | FINNAIR
Flag-carrier Finnair makes high demands on its third-party
airline ground service providers. James Graham talks to
Mikko Tainio, head of ground operations, on how to make
the grade as a supplier
F
innair’s business strategy DOING BUSINESS
is to leverage its far north- Third-party ground handlers enter
ern location as a country to into relationships outside of Helsinki
work as a bridge between through a range of pitching, tendering
Europe and Asia. Shorter or competition, depending on the
distances across the northern great station in question. According to Tainio,
circle mean travellers to and from Hel- there are a number of ways would-be
sinki have quicker journeys than the suppliers can come forward.
busier and longer southern routes to He says: “There are different ap-
destinations in China, Asia and Aus- proaches depending on the destina-
tralasia. tion. In the case of new destinations
According to Tainio, Helsinki is we try to include all the possible op-
so important to the business activity tions to the tender process. In the
of the airline that there is no way the current destinations we try to im-
airline will risk handing its ground ser- prove our operational quality and
vices to third-party operators.
He says: “As our strategy focuses on
Europe-Asia network traffic, we view
our Helsinki hub customer service as so What we are focusing on is
vital that we keep it in house to make building good career and training
sure we are flexible with new products paths to keep all the talented
and concepts for our customers. All employees with us
other ground handling is outsourced.” Mikko Tainio
The legacy carrier claims to be one
of the most innovative, safest and long-
est-operating airlines in the world.
Finnair’s route network connects Asia, cost level with the cur-
North America and the northern re- rent suppliers while still
gions of Europe and beyond through always keeping our eyes
its hub at Helsinki Airport. Helsinki’s open for would-be com-
geographical location provides Finnair panies.
with a natural competitive advantage, “Naturally it is pos-
as the fastest routes between many sible to dispense with
destinations in Europe and mega-cit- any supplier if they don’t
ies in Asia go through the city. meet our expectations,
The company employs approxi- but this rarely happens.”
mately 4,800 professionals and its rev- The airline has es-
enue in 2014 was approximately €2.3 tablished a template
billion. contract for ground
Outside of Helsinki Airport, Fin- service providers
nair uses a wide selection of national with standardised
and global suppliers at its 20 Asian contract terms. How-
and 100 European stations. When pos- ever, Tainio acknowl-
sible, the airline aims to co-operate edges there is always
with its preferred suppliers. A typical some need to adjust
agreement length varies from one to the details to match
three years. the local operations
4 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
INTERVIEW | FINNAIR
Credit: Finnair
tion on luggage delivery, just pops into
their mobile device.
“There is an ever-increasing num-
ber of self-check-in kiosks and also
online, mobile and app check-in pos-
sibilities available. Also the automated
bag drop has become widely used at
Helsinki Airport, with plans to expand
to other countries and stations as well.
“Next in line we are exploring per-
manent bag tags as home-printed bag
tags – that would enable the customer
to skip one step at the airport and go
directly to the bag drop.”
GREEN HELSINKI
Tainio has ‘ownership and management’
of the Helsinki hub ground operations for
the carrier. This reflects the importance
where the airline is established. and competitive operation. By driving, the airline places on the station.
Tainio leads a well-functioning managing and tracking the most He says: “Helsinki Airport and its
team of 300 ground handling staff substantial profitability enhancement location is absolutely vital for Finnair,
on three continents and several project to date, he achieved cuts of making possible the 24-hour rotations
thousand outsourced service partner €200m by the end of 2015. of our Asian wide body fleet and mak-
employees globally. Like most opera- He says: “As my background is more ing a huge impact on our customers’
tors in the aviation industry, Finnair in airline finance and administration transfer experience. As Finnair and
faces a range of headaches in secur- there has been a learning curve – but Helsinki Airport continue to grow
ing and retaining trained and profes- at the end of the day, as with any post, together, we are making sure that
sional staff. 90% of what you need leadership, a all traffic continues to run at least as
He says: “There is a lot of geo- well-functioning team and a huge ap- smoothly as it is currently doing. When
graphical variance; we are seeing a lot petite toyou’re your hands deep into the we succeed the impact is growth of our
of turnover in staff in the US, for ex- details when needed!” traffic, revenue and – also – Finnair’s
ample, whereas in Asia we have coun- The operational performance, with and our partners’ bottom line.”
tries with staff of tenures well over 20 on time-performance achieving 89.5% The airline currently operates a
years. in 2015, is absolutely vital, he believes. range of 52 aircraft, including Air-
“In Finland we are among the most Without it, Finnair’s heavily banked, bus A330s, A340s, A321s, A320s and
lucrative employers so getting talent in transfer-focused traffic structure could A318s. It also operates Embraer 190s
is not that hard; what we are focusing not be as successful as it is. Robust and 170s. Given its icy homeland, it
on is building good career and train- processes, active operational steering comes as little surprise that its use of
ing paths to keep all the talented and partnerships that work well, es- de-icing liquid is great. In fact, the air-
employees with us.” pecially at Finnair’s hub, are key ele- line had a target to reduce anti-icing
Asia stands as a region ments in this achievement. fluid usage by 40% by 2016.
likely to see growing need Tainio says: “The de-icing truck’s
from Finnair for airline TRENDS IN GROUND HANDLING proportional mixture system accord-
ground services: under its Finnair’s ground handling activities ing to the Out Air Temperature for
long-term plans, the carrier are reacting to changing passenger Type-I fluid, and use of alternative
aims to double Asian traf- practices and desires across the flying de-icing methods such as brooms, hot
fic by 2020 from the 2010 public. Tainio’s role is to monitor these water and forced air, has reduced the
level. developments and tailor Finnair’s use of de-icing fluids significantly, but
offering in ground handling services as actual usage of de-icing fluids depends
LEARNING CURVE appropriate. on the weather. We are also constantly
Tainio has headed He says: “Customers want to looking for new methods to reduce the
up Finnair’s ground customise their journey – the times need for de-icing fluids.”
operations since June when the ticket included all services The airline also takes a green atti-
2015. He came to the are gone and now a wide selection of tude to its ground handling suppliers,
post with an unusual ancillary services is valued, be it seat notes Tainio.
background: aviation upgrades, lounge access or choice He says: “Environmental issues are
finance. At Finnair for of food. We are increasingly focus- an important part of the supplier se-
11 years, Tainio’s last ing on providing these through digi- lection process and we demand that
position as head of Group tal channels as well as through our ground handlers follow our supplier
Business Control Finnair ground staff. code of conduct and audit and monitor
saw him leading change “Transparency comes through the our suppliers. As such, we do not have
in the demanding airline customer having a constant under- exact diversity targets for suppliers,
industry, transforming standing of what is happening next but equality and non-discrimination
a legacy airline into and any irregularities; for example, a are foundational values for Finnair
being a lean, efficient new itinerary suggestion, or informa- and part of our audit programme.”
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Summer/Autumn 2016 Airline Ground Services 5
INTERVIEW | PEGASUS AIRLINES
Pegasus Airlines is a 26-year-old Turkish
low-cost airline headquartered in Istanbul with
bases at several Turkish airports
W
hen Pegasus Airlines looks to work with
third-party ground handlers, it seeks compa-
nies that can offer services at several of its
destinations both domestically and interna-
tionally. Murat Demirbilek, vice president
ground operations, says: “Having a regional representative
for ground operations means we can easily implement any
changes as necessary through them. We have contracts and
SLAs with different companies across different airports that
can offer the highest standard of service quality for Pegasus
guests.”
Pegasus currently self-handles all its aircraft at Istanbul’s
Sabiha Gökçen and Izmir Adnan Menderes stations. This ac-
counts for 50% of its network. As of June 2016, it will provide
ramp services to its aircraft at Sabiha Gökçen.
Murat Demirbilek, vice president
ground operations, Pegasus Airlines
6 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com
INTERVIEW | PEGASUS AIRLINES
Demirbilek says: “Our mission is
to offer safe, efficient and proactive
ground operations at a time when we
are experiencing fast growth above
our projections; as any operational
delay can create a domino effect that
affects the on-time performance on PEGASUS WORKSHOP
our entire network. One of the most
Pegasus Airlines has just held its
significant contributors to our on-
two-day 3rd Pegasus Workshop,
time performance is our ground han-
aimed at examining and resolving
dling time, which we call PITSTOP,
ground handling issues at the
and which is our main key perfor-
Turkish low-cost carrier.
mance indicator (KPI).”
The airline currently has a fleet of 69
aircraft and operates scheduled flights to See our report on Page 8.
103 destinations in 41 countries.
Demirbilek says: “When we’re
launching a new route, we initiate and Demirbilek observes: “This is of “We have check-in kiosks in 12 of
establish a relationship with ground paramount importance to us. In our our domestic destinations for quick
handling companies. We strongly be- stations across Turkey we provide our self-service check-in. At Sabiha
lieve that competition improves ser- ground handling services in just 20 Gökçen we recently deployed 30 SITA
vice quality. We place great value on minutes. We’re also the only Turkish new-generation kiosks, helping us to
building strong long-lasting relation- airline to publish its on-time perfor- cut the time spent at check-in. We will
ships with our current partners.” mance openly on its website and have soon also be introducing ‘bag tag’ func-
been for many years. What lies behind tionality to enable our guests to print
20 MINUTES our success is our strategic planning their own tags. These new features will
The carrier seeks to achieve top-of- based on conditions, close monitoring, allow our guests to spend less time in
the-tier punctuality and operational supporting and investing in our per- queues and at counters, and allow us to
performance among competing airlines sonnel, investing in technology and as use the counters in the terminal more
in matters such as aircraft punctuality managers, always being with our col- efficiently to prevent them from being
and luggage left behind. leagues on the ground. stretched to near capacity.”
/With passion for success
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www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Summer/Autumn 2016 Airline Ground Services 7
FEATURE | PEGASUS WORKSHOP
6th-8th April 2016
A two-day workshop was
staged by Pegasus Airlines to
examine and resolve ground
handling issues at the Turkish
low-cost carrier. The event,
held in Istanbul, allowed the
A
mong executives who mance, safety and emergency response,
airline to meet with third- took workshops at the CRM, contract and network auditing
party and in-house ground event were: Murat and, lastly, mishandled baggage.
Demirbilek, vice presi- Mishandled baggage is a big con-
handling operators
dent ground operations, cern as it costs Pegasus almost Ð1 mil-
who opened the two-day gathering; lion annually. A disgruntled passenger
Nilgün Pekel, manager, baggage ser- spoke of her negative experiences in
vice; and Deniz Saltık, manager, con- resolving an issue with her daughter’s
tracts and network auditing. Topics damaged suitcase.
covered included: mishandled bag-
gage; on-time performance; and the WHY HOLD AN ANNUAL WORKSHOP?
power of social media. Why does Pegasus feel that it is
The theme of the workshop was an important to hold an annual workshop?
evaluation of 2015’s operational per- Senior vice president Bogac Ugurlutegin
formance. Almost 200 management- is straightforward. He says: “It is a
level participants attended from 37 in- chance for us to bring our staff and all
Bogac Ugurlutegin, Senior vice ternational and 31 domestic stations. our ground service providers together to
president, Pegasus Airlines Participants were mainly handling discuss the issues that we as an airline
company managers and GSAs. face and how we can work together in
Demirbilek opened the workshop addressing them which is not only in our
with a look back at Pegasus’ 2015 oper- interest but also our service providers.
ations, giving an overview of the issues “We want all our partners around
that concerned him and how can the the world to feel part of the Pegasus
airline help the passenger checking, family. The workshop also gives a
baggage and ramp handling process. chance for our partners to tell us how
The speakers outlined issues re- we can improve or help them; this is
lating to a number of topics that were our way of supporting them.
important to the airline such as: DCS, “The workshop is not just about
social media impact, on-time perfor- us telling the ground service partners
8 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comFEATURE | PEGASUS WORKSHOP
what we are not happy with, it works them. Partners can update Pegasus on
both ways – we want to know how we new reporting procedures, new sys-
can help them in establishing a better tems that are being implemented and
working relationship. We as an air- how everyone is doing on KPI targets.
line understand how important it is The airline also shares data about air-
that our ground service providers feel craft damage, baggage damage and
part of a team and we are all working lost customer complaints.
together to provide an excellent cus-
tomer experience; we have to remem- AWARD SCHEME
ber that by outsourcing the ground Pegasus has an awards ceremony,
services at different airports they [the rewarding high standards of service.
ground service providers] are an im- The awards are presented at a
portant part of our operation as our glittering gala at the end of the two-
passengers are not aware that they are day workshop. Ugurlutegin says: “We
not the airline.” want to reward the best-performing
The workshop also gives Pegasus’s stations and we have done this by
partners a chance to tell the airline how annualising the data, that’s how we
it can improve its performance or help decide on who gets the awards.”
Best Excess Performance
Doha (DOH) Qatar Air Services
Hatay (HTY) Celebi Aviation
Stuttgart (STR) Stuttgart
Ground Service
Izmir (ADB) Havas AS & Pegasus
Best On-Time Performance
Izmir (ADB) Havas A.S & Pegasus
Best Baggage Handling
Performance
Tbilisi (TBS) TAV Urban Georgia
Mus (MSR) Havas AS
Best Document Performance
Bergamo (BGY) AGS Handling
Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) Pegasus
Best Station 2015
Konya (KYA) Havas AS
10 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comYour trusted partner Available at 27 airports in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Ground Services Company is determined to provide its client airlines the best services for a smooth & efficient operation with safety and on-Time performance sgsaviation.com.sa
MENZIES | FORSYTH BLACK
T
At the start of 2016, the he exit of Jeremy Stafford our business forward in the ground
after just 15 months in post handling and cargo sectors, ensuring
departure of Jeremy as CEO of John Menzies we meet the highest standards in safe-
Stafford from his role as for personal reasons gave ty, security, quality and consistency
the former Menzies Dis- along the way. I’m very excited about
John Menzies CEO opened tribution managing director Forsyth the opportunity I’ve been given. I’m in
the door for Forsyth Black Black the chance to step up to the plate it for the long haul.”
to quickly move into the role as managing director of Menzies Avia- Black’s promotion comes some
tion with immediate effect. two decades after EU liberalisation of
of president and managing Stafford had left just a few weeks ground handling services. There are
director of Menzies Aviation. after Menzies issued a profits warn- many working in the European ground
James Graham asks, ing following problems with its ground handling industry who have only
handling contract at London Gatwick. worked in the liberalised environment.
where will he now take the In the event, the company satisfac- Whether the move has worked is
worldwide ground handler? torily concluded negotiations over for others to say. Black, however, is
contractual issues and trading was clear on how he sees the competitive
brought in line with forecasts. The environment in 2016. He says: “It’s
company remained confident of meet- vibrant, which is great. Menzies Avia-
ing expectations for the full year ended tion welcomes competition; it keeps
31 December 2015. us honest and pushes us to be on our
This slight bump in the road failed best game. While the industry has seen
to dent Black’s confidence on arrival in some torrid times during the global re-
post as president and managing direc- cession, it’s still indisputable that the
tor. He says: “My focus is on driving 20 years since the European market
12 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comMENZIES | FORSYTH BLACK
opened up have coincided with a huge the low-cost carrier (LCC) also ar-
boom in air travel. rived just as the EU was expanding.
“I still see Europe as a growth area, Elsewhere in North America and Asia,
and I relish the challenge of compet- established legacy carriers were sud-
ing for our slice of that growth over the denly confronted with game-changing
next few years.” competition. This created a new gen-
eration of passengers, often flying on
CAREER MAN aircraft with no cargo, who wanted
Edinburgh University graduate Black’s flights at the cheapest possible fares.
career at Menzies began more than a Ground handlers, too, were con-
decade ago when he joined the Scottish fronted with a new way of working.
firm from an unlikely source. He had No cargo to load, fastest-ever turna-
previously worked for four years at rounds, shifts in on-board catering
broadcaster Sky Television. and a new business environment
Since joining in mid-2003, Black meant handlers had to change.
has worked for both the ground han- Black says: “LCCs have had a
dling and media distribution arms of huge impact on the way we do busi-
the business. ness. They’ve driven us to build a
He says: “My career has been de- business around managing concen-
fined by taking new opportunities trated volume at big airports. It’s a
– I launched our ventures in Africa challenging environment, but it has
and India – so I’m fundamentally a pushed us to find process improve-
glass-half-full person. I see oppor- ments and adopt new technologies
tunity everywhere, and I’m opti- in order to meet that challenge.”
mistic about our prospects for this
year and beyond.” FUTURE PROOFING
Menzies Aviation is a global How do you future proof a company
provider of passenger, ramp and like Menzies Aviation? Black considers
cargo handling services. It has a straightforward approach is best. He
grown rapidly since its concep- says: “Our future proofing comes from
tion in 1995. Through a combi- the portfolio nature of our business.
nation of organic growth, acqui- By spreading our operations across a
sitions and the development of truly diverse base – multiple airports,
niche opportunities, it has es- countries, customers and products –
tablished itself as a major force we give ourselves sufficient breadth of
in the international ground han- interests to weather what turbulence
dling industry. may appear in any one area.”
Operating at 149 stations in 31 One growing area of interest to
countries and supported by a world- many people both inside and outside
wide team of more than 21,000 people, of the industry is the issue of a ‘green’
it serves over 500 airline customers han- airport. Black is tuned into concerns
dling over 1.0 million flights and 1.6 mil- and will point Menzies towards a
lion tonnes of cargo per annum. greener future. He says: “It is very
important. As stakeholders in global
STAFFING ISSUES aviation, we all have a responsibility
Many companies in the sector are to set the tone with respect to the en-
aware that changing demographics in vironmental agenda. We can see tech-
many markets are leading to a crunch nology emerging now which helps us
in the availability of suitably trained move toward a greener apron, and
professional staff. Black is no different indeed we already operate equipment
in acknowledging the biggest challenges such as electric pushback trucks in
in recruiting for ground handling, and various locations. As the available de-
he knows how he can overcome this. vices advance in sophistication and
He says: “As the global economy reliability, our adoption of them will
recovers, and we move closer to full increase accordingly.”
employment, it becomes harder to Just a few months into his new
secure the right people to push our role, Black is already shaping Menzies
business forward. We’re not alone in for the future.
having this problem, and there are no “Put simply, I’m excited about the fu-
easy answers. We need to be smarter ture,” he says. “I am committed to driv-
in the way we approach recruitment, ing up quality and standards in every
we need to cast our net wider, and we part of our business, until Menzies Avia-
need to look harder in order to find tion is the undisputed benchmark for
our candidates.” excellence in our industry. In the days
In Europe, at the same time as lib- ahead, I’ll be completely focused on
eralisation in ground handling occurred, bringing that vision to life.”
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Summer/Autumn 2016 Airline Ground Services 13GROUND HANDLING | EUROPE
GROUND HANDLING
A
s an indication of how aircraft de-icing, cabin cleaning and
much has changed in dressing, exterior washing and in-
Since 1997, the provision the European Union and terior cabin works such as carpet
of ground handling the wider aviation mar- manufacture and seat cover replace-
ket since the directive ment, and with operations at 12 UK
services in the EU has was signed, when ink was put to paper airports, says managing director Ni-
been covered by Directive there were only 15 member states and gel Daniel. In November 2014 and
96/67/EC. This was the Euro was two years in the future. for the first time, the company moved
Since then, there has been free into passenger and baggage handling
introduced to open up competition for the majority of ground at Gatwick Airport
ground handling services handling services at larger EU airports, Observing the competitive environ-
to competition, ending resulting in more choice for airline ment in European ground handling,
customers. In turn, improved service Daniel sees a mixed story. He says:
the existing monopolies levels, including sharper and quicker “Competition is not good in southern
that kept prices high and turnarounds, allow airlines more free- Europe as even where it looks like
dom to consider passing on savings to it meets the regulations, this is hid-
service standards low
passengers and freight forwarders. ing issues. In northern Europe, it has
With some of the world’s busiest driven down cost below breakeven and
and more intense airport operations, so trashed the quality in many airports
ground handlers may not find a to- and with many handlers.”
tally free market. Member states may This year, Daniel is pleased to an-
limit the number of suppliers in cer- ticipate strong demand for the com-
tain service categories, such as baggage pany’s activities. However, in certain
handling, ramp handling, fuelling and areas of the business, such as aircraft
freight services. In these cases, the min- presentation, competition issues mean
imum number of suppliers has to be it will be very hard to trade profitably.
two and at least one of the suppliers has He says: “2016 will be a major chal-
to be independent of the airport or the lenge to make a profit in aircraft pres-
dominant airline at that airport. Some entation due to the above. Demand
airlines choose to self-handle, with sim- is good, until the real price is offered
ilar rules on competition applying. to make a margin and then demand
Airline Services Handling is a UK drops from many airlines.
ground handler offering various ser- According to Daniel, Airline Ser-
vices including full ground handling, vices, which provides a range of servic-
14 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comGROUND HANDLING | EUROPE
es to, among others, Monarch, Emir- Szymczak says: “In general, the
ates, United, Turkish Airlines, EasyJet, Directive created quite a liberal, open
British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Malta, market situation in ground handling
Air Baltic, Aurigny, Ryanair, Flybe and which was, in fact, the goal of the doc-
Thomson, is typical in experiencing ument. It did not envision one conse-
issues in recruiting high volumes of quence – the openness of the EU mar-
staff: “It is very challenging in many ket to strong players from the Gulf and
areas of the UK especially with the re- Turkey who are aggressive economic
cent growth of the automotive industry players on European turf. This is es-
and large scale on line sales distribu- pecially problematic for established
tion” he says. ground handling companies in the EU,
such as Turkish competition at Buda-
‘ICE BREAKER’ pest Airport (BUD) or Riga Interna-
Poland was not a member state when tional Airport (RIX).”
the directive was signed. However, Nigel Daniel, managing director,
earlier competition had been introduced Airline Services Handling GEO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
into Polish ground handling, making Szymczak’s general business confidence
the eventual implementation of the is positive, though there are geo-political
directive much simpler. That is the Chopin Airport, creating duopolistic pressures that are creating issues for
opinion of Tomasz Szymczak, a member competition replacing the earlier mo- ground handlers, especially in Poland.
of the board of Warsaw-based Welcome nopoly of LGS (now known as LS Air- Confidence is neutral in the legacy and
Airport Services. port Services).” low-cost part of Welcome’s business and
Szymczak says: “The EU Directive At present, there is competition be- rather pessimistic concerning its charter
96/67 has been successfully imple- tween Welcome and LS at John Paul II flight operations. This is due in part to
mented in the so-called new member International Airport Kraków (KRK), Arab Revolution instability in southern
states without major obstacles as some Gdansk Lech Wałesa Airport (GDN) Mediterranean countries, especially
competition had been introduced al- and Katowice International Airport Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey.
ready earlier. Our company was formed KTW). For five years, at WAW Chopin He says: “These used to be popular
in 2000 as Warsaw Airport Services Airport, there have been three main summer destinations for Polish tour-
– from 2013 as Welcome Airport Ser- players: Welcome, LS and Lithuanian ists. Now the drop (Jan 2016 com-
vices. It was the ‘ice-breaker’ at WAW handler BGS. pared to Jan 2015) is 95% in the case
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Summer/Autumn 2016 Airline Ground Services 15GROUND HANDLING | EUROPE
of Tunisia and around 70% in both Twenty years after the signing of
other countries.” Directive 96/97/EC, Hiersche notes
In general, Szymczak is seeing an mixed levels of competition in the mar-
ongoing push for lower rates, especial- ket. He says: “It depends on the airport
ly from low-cost players, stability with you are providing services at. In some
some improvements among legacy car- cases competition is driven by pricing.
riers and also growing cost awareness Airlines try to decrease their costs by
among the Gulf carriers, which is a reducing services or force their sup-
relatively new phenomenon. pliers to provide the same services for
Welcome’s airline clients across a cheaper price. In this situation the
its stations include Wizz, IAG, AFKL, competitors are destroying their price
Emirates and easyJet. The handler is structure, which reflects less invest-
facing issues in attracting operation- ment and negative results in their P&L.
al personnel, especially at the lower “In other cases there is not enough
ranks. There is a more stability at up- David Hiersche, managing director,
volume for multiple companies pro-
per echelons but pressure for better re- ISS Ground Services viding the same services. For example
muneration is ongoing, comparable to at regional airports with fewer than 2
the situation in Western Europe, con- million passengers, the daily volume
siders Szymczak. some regions, implying uneven traffic does not cover the costs of two or three
He is of the opinion that after 20 development and business across air- providers. And then there are special
years of existence and several unsuc- lines and countries. cases where hardly any competition
cessful developments, the directive exists. The local top dog, like the air-
is in need of revision. It is especially RETHINKING SERVICES port provider itself, restricts access for
important that the regulation must David Hiersche, managing director of any independent service provider who
reflect the open nature of modern EU Vienna-based ISS Ground Services, is would like to offer services but cannot
business. of the opinion that the ground handling compete due to local restrictions.
industry is in a state of flux at present, “As an example, consider the pric-
EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL with the new rules being formulated as ing for facilities and infrastructure,
Since EU ground handling deregulation the market evolves. which is sometimes not transparent,
took place, there have been considerable He says: “In my opinion the ground and the start-up costs, which are very
changes in the ground handling market handling market and the services will high. A lot of money needs to be paid
with ongoing opportunities to tap into change. In some cases we have to re- for office/warehouse rental which does
new countries and stations. That is the think our services and the prices we not meet the requirements or even
opinion of Simon Messner, Swissport offer. Tailor-made solutions will be- current standards – no air condition-
senior vice president ground handling come more and more important, which ing, old buildings etc – but there is no
Europe West, Central and East. forces more flexibility on the one hand other option as these are the only facil-
He says: “Driving innovations in and leads to more complexity in the ities available for independent service
key areas and standardising processes business. providers.”
are main factors for Swissport to de- “Airlines need to distinguish what ISS provides ground operations at
liver the highest quality to customers, they pay for a specific service and what four Austrian airports as well as inter-
such as on-time departure and short is included in the service. Services national stations. Its main business is
baggage delivery times.” and the single prices behind a flat- aircraft cleaning (interior as well as
While Swissport serves more than rate pricing structure need to be more exterior).
200 million passengers worldwide transparent. This would give airlines Hiersche says: “Due to the increas-
and is present at major airports in 48 the possibility to adjust the services to ing numbers of low-cost carriers, the
countries, the ground handling market meet the requirements and show them requirements have changed. Many
will further develop in Europe over the the possible savings.” airlines are reducing transit cleaning
coming years. or have cancelled it to decrease their
Messner says: “For Europe we ob- turnaround times and costs. Night-
serve a growing number of turnarounds stop cleanings, in these cases, became
and consequently a stable demand for more and more important, which gives
ground handling services. Further out- us better staff planning opportunities
sourcing will support this trend. It will and therefore better pricing options
be key to have global solutions with for the customer.”
standardised processes and exchange ISS’s major clients are Austrian
on a daily basis with the customer to Airlines, NIKI Luftfahrt, Eurowings
drive efficiency and quality.” EU, Germanwings and Celebi Ground
Overall economic growth in the in- Services Austria GmbH. It is respon-
dustry is positive for 2016, supported sible for the transit and night-stop
by continued low oil prices, strong de- cleaning of Celebi’s customers at Vi-
mand for travel, and increasing capaci- enna International Airport.
ty. The airline industry saw a good year Elsewhere in Austria, Swissport
in 2015 in terms of profitability and re- International and Flughafen Graz
turn on capital, he considers. However, Simon Messner, senior vice president have launched a joint venture: Swis-
there is some uncertainty given the po- ground handling Europe West, Central sport Cargo Services Graz. It offers a
and East, Swissport
litical and economical turbulence in wide range of cargo services and is set
16 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comPUTTING TECHNOLOGY
TO WORK
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“Luckily for us, we are able to re-
“We are delighted to have tain, motivate and offer our staff such
our customers’ long-lasting working conditions as help us to min-
USVTUXIJDIJTSFmFDUFECZB imise personnel defections. However,
strong demand for our ground when it comes to business expansion,
handling services” finding a qualified specialist may be-
Gytis Gumuliauskas, CEO, BGS come a true challenge. One of the ways
to support business development is to
train our own, new ground handling
talents who become skilful and loyal
professionals afterwards.”
BGS services key international
and regional airlines such as Aeroflot,
Air Berlin, Air France, Alitalia, DHL,
easyJet, El AL, Etihad Airways, fly-
dubai, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Small
Planet Airlines, Turkish Airlines and
Wizz Air.
NORWEGIAN WOOD
Aviator and Norwegian Air Shuttle
are to extend their ground handling
service contract at London Gatwick
until October 2020, and include
Manchester Airport (MAN) in the
to handle an estimated 10,000 tons of as airlines of all types are pushing their same agreement.
air freight every year for its customers costs down, forcing ground handling The move follows negotiations
– airlines and freight forwarders. providers to constantly search for new which commenced before Christmas
Graz Airport has one of the most price optimisation and added-value 2015. Norwegian’s award comes at a
modern, functional cargo infrastruc- solutions. This includes development time when the airline is increasing its
tures in the South-East Europe region of various IT solutions for more accu- operations at LGW with about 20%
and is Austria’s third-largest regional rate scheduling and resource planning, more flights. Following the decision
airport. integration of LEAN methods, invest- Aviator will also take over Norwegian
ment into personnel training as well at Manchester Airport as from 1st
COMPETITION IS HIGH as more flexible price rates for airlines May 2016. Currently, Norwegian has a
BGS (Baltic Ground Service) is a serviced in several different airports by daily service to any of the three Scan-
provider of ground handling, aircraft the same provider. dinavian capitals from MAN with a
fuelling, liquid ADR logistics and “Price is not the only factor in the plan to increase these services.
training services as well as IT solutions. competition since quality and safety of Vanessa Branch, Aviator service
The company operates in Lithuania, services remain highly important for delivery manager responsible for the
Latvia, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. the carriers. After all, ground handlers Norwegian operations in the UK, says:
BGS supports both domestic and service passengers on behalf of a car- “I am very proud of the hard work and
international air carriers in Vilnius, rier, meaning that poor service levels dedication of the Aviator LGW team,
Kaunas, Palanga, Riga, Warsaw, Krakow will most likely result in passenger which has gone a long way to help
and Katowice, as well as Ramenskoye, complaints and thus impact the carri- secure the Norwegian contract. Eve-
Boryspil, Kiev, Odessa and Lviv airports, er’s image. All in all, airlines definitely ryone should be very proud of their
handling over 2.4 million passengers benefit from the current market com- achievement.”
and 12,700 flights annually. petition, while for ground handlers it
In 2008, BGS became the first in means a constant struggle for process VIRGIN WIN
Europe and one of 10 world ground optimisation and development of new Cobalt Ground Solutions was formed
handling companies to be awarded services while ensuring a high level of on 1st April 2009 by the merger of
with the ISAGO safety and quality safety/quality and flexible price levels.” two ground services subsidiaries of Air
certificate for ground handling ser- France and KLM in the UK – formerly
vices. The company is also a member TRUST Air France Services Ltd (AFSL) and
of IATA’s Ground Handling Council In the ground handling market, KLM Ground Services Ltd (KGS).
(IGHC) and an ISO 9001:2008 certi- Gumuliauskas says: “We are delighted With a strong team of around 700
fied organisation. to have our customers’ long-lasting trust staff, it offers ground handling services
Gytis Gumuliauskas, CEO of BGS, which is reflected by a strong demand at London Heathrow Airport Terminal
says: “Competition in the ground for our ground handling services in 3 and Terminal 4 to a large portfolio
handling market is as high as ever. current airport as well as the continuous of airlines.
Without any doubt, the EU Directive growth of our annual traffic. Its most recent win has been ramp,
adopted back in 1996 played a signifi- “It is no secret that the aviation baggage, and lost and found services
cant role in the process, but it is not industry is rapidly growing, and the forthe Virgin Atlantic Airways LHR Ter-
the only factor. The ever-growing low- shortage of experienced specialists is a minal 3 operation. The handler current-
cost airlines have also contributed to topical issue not only for airlines, but ly offers below-wing services to Delta Air
higher competition in the GH market, for any other industry employer as well. Lines and Japan Airlines at LHR.
18 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comAviation - The ISS Way From take-off to landing, ISS Aviation takes you to new heights - Aircraft Exterior Cleaning - Aircraft Interior Cleaning - Passenger Handling Services - Security Services - Integrated Facility & Aviation Services www.at.issworld.com/aviation
CATERING | GOURMET DINING
For the vast majority of passengers airline food is the bland pap
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BJSMJOFGPPEDBOCFTPNFUIJOHFMTFFOUJSFMZDavid Smith tucks in
I
n the rarefied world of the super- GRANDS CHEFS
rich, Saudi princes, pop superstars, Legacy carriers that hang on to full, silver
Premier League footballers and Hol- service menus for first and premium
lywood actors order whatever food passengers tend to opt for headline, celebrity
they like, whenever they like. The cost chefs to craft meals to complement the
is irrelevant. If an essential ingredient can considerably higher ticket prices demanded.
only be found thousands of miles away, the Airlines can now spend as much as
catering companies will have to fetch it. US$50 a person serving signature dishes
Few airline catering companies are from celebrity chefs to their first and pre-
equipped to deal with the caprices of the mium passengers. Likewise, the wine menu
mega-wealthy. They must have highly can often cost an airline the same. Unlike
trained and flexible chefs, a complex and coach passengers, first class and business
rapid logistics operation to track down class passengers often think about an air-
unusual ingredients at short notice and line’s food. Managers know that airlines
kitchens located near the haunts of the can certainly lose a customer by offering a
super-wealthy. poor menu.
20 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comCATERING | GOURMET DINING
For instance, on Air France flights
departing from Paris, meals crafted
by Joël Robuchon, Régis Marcon, Guy
Martin, Anne-Sophie Pic and Michel
Roth are available. Their signature
meals alternate every two months so
regular passengers have something
new to discover. At the same time, the
airline’s wine list is updated every two
months.
On flights provided by Air France
departing from Los Angeles, New
York and Washington and travelling
to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, for a full
year from March 2016, dishes have
been created by Daniel Boulud, the
renowned US-based Michelin-starred
French chef. His flagship restaurant
‘Daniel’, listed as one of the top 10 res-
taurants in the world, is acclaimed for
its cuisine and service. “Daniel Bou-
lud brings creativity and soulfulness awarded Michelin stars or Gault Millau In 2013, British Airways asked chef
to dishes based in French technique toques. The German carrier also uses Heston Blumenthal to make umami
and enlivened with global flavours and celebrity chefs, such as Diethard Ur- a key ingredient in his attempt to add
spices,” said the airline. bansky, to create its menu. more flavour to first class and premium
On long-haul Lufthansa flights Qantas has stayed with the same British Airways menus to counter the
from Germany, top chefs create dishes executive chef for 15 years. Neil Perry fact that passengers lose about 30% of
for the ‘Culinary Delights’ concept in AM is an Australian chef and restaura- their ability to taste as a result of ex-
first class. These chefs, who change eve- teur who is the co-ordinator for Qan- tremely dry cabin conditions and high-
ry two months, belong to the top rank tas Flight Catering under his company altitude pressure inside airplanes.
of the gourmet world and have all been Rockpool Consulting. Umami is an ingredient known as
Airport Services (Antigua) Ltd.
“Embracing Safety & Courtesy”
Ground Handlers in Antigua since 1968
IATA and ISAGO certified
V.C. Bird International Airport, Antigua, West Indies
T: +1. 268 462 0889 | F: +1. 268 462 1651 | E: asa@candw.ag
w w w. a s a a n u . c o m
www.ags-airlinegroundservices.com Summer/Autumn 2016 Airline Ground Services 21CATERING | GOURMET DINING
the ‘fifth basic sense’ after its discovery “Our chefs work 24/7 and I don’t
by the Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda even have a key to the front door as it’s
in 1908. never shut. Rather than having 10 chefs
on duty, which is normal, we might
DEMANDING CLIENTS have only two in quiet periods, but
For charter and private aviation, catering never less. When we get highly complex
for premium and first class service is a orders, we might call people in on their
more bespoke, smaller scale operation days off.”
than the legacy carriers. Air Gourmet started life in 1990 as
In the US, three catering compa- a small business run by a former flight
nies dominate this market. There is attendant. Saven saw the potential for
the pioneer in the field, New York- growth and bought it in 1996. At that
based Rudy’s Inflight Catering, Silver stage, Air Gourmet catered for 10 flights
Lining in Florida and Air Gourmet, Barry Saven, President, Air Gourmet a day and now it caters for an average
which has kitchens in both Los Ange- of 60 from its two bases. The nature of
les and Las Vegas. Hollywood’s movie stars are capa- those flights varies widely. “One order
Meanwhile, in the UK, On Air ble of making demands for meals that might be for orange juice, an LA Times
Dining is a relative newcomer that no ordinary mortal would contemplate newspaper and yoghurt on a short
has established itself in a remarkably eating. One renowned movie ‘tough flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
short time. guy’, who cannot be named because of Another could be a highly complex or-
Barry Saven, the South African- the tradition of discretion in the luxury der for breakfast, lunch and dinner for
born president of Air Gourmet, says catering market, ordered a rattlesnake a plane load flying to Europe, or Asia.
there are no limits to the challenges set steak. “We worried for a moment that That might involve 10 chefs working all
by clients and the critical element in we wouldn’t be able to find it, but we day to complete it. The value of a flight
the success of his business in this niche sourced it in 20 minutes, had it deliv- ranges from as little as $200 to in ex-
is flexibility. “We are dealing with very ered in 20 minutes and cooked it so it cess of $100,000.”
privileged people and they can order was ready an hour after the order came Air Gourmet guards its reputation
animal parts that our chefs have never in,” Saven said. for quality food carefully. Whereas Air
even heard of,” he said. “I had a Mid- Air Gourmet’s kitchen facilities are Culinaire Worldwide uses third-party
dle Eastern prince who wanted a white found at the intersection of two major local kitchens under its own name, Air
truffle sauce on his mashed potatoes Los Angeles freeways and a street away Gourmet only puts its name to food
and we couldn’t get fresh white truf- from Beverly Hills, home to actors and cooked fresh in its kitchens. It does,
fles anywhere in the US. I had to get celebrities. Almost any ingredient can however, have an affiliation with both
someone in Paris to source them and be sourced in LA at short notice by the Silver Lining, in Florida, and Rudy’s, in
put them on a plane as unaccompanied logistics team and delivered by the fleet New York. All three companies recom-
luggage. A driver met the plane at LAX of Air Gourmet vehicles. Deliveries ar- mend using their partner caterers on
airport and brought it to the kitchen by rive at all times of the day or night. their home territories.
which time we had a short time to pre-
pare it. It cost a ridiculous amount of
money, but he didn’t care.”
Almost any ingredient can be sourced in LA
at short notice by the logistics team and
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22 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comExceeding the Standards with People & Technology
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www.fsspeople.com
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its own fleet of branded vehicles deliv-
“We are dealing with very ering the food from its 3,500ft2 kitchen
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privileged people and they can in the Diamond Hangar at Stansted, to
PSEFSBOJNBMQBSUTUIBUPVSDIFGT airports all over England and Wales. It
IBWFOFWFSFWFOIFBSEPGv is packaged to make it easy to cook in
steam ovens, microwaves, or conven-
Barry Saven
tional ovens. From there, the food is
eaten mainly on flights to the Middle
East, Europe, Russia and the US.
“He saw the niche because The menus have a classical French
the food being served to the bent, but clients can choose what they
wealthy yacht owners on their want. All food is prepared in a way
private jets was of such a low that conforms to the science of cook-
standard,” said Robinson. “The ing at altitude. “It’s known that food
catering companies thought loses 50% of its taste because of de-
they could buy a 40p Brakes hydration and air pressure affecting
chicken and throw on a coq au vin your taste buds and sinuses. So we use
sauce, then charge £30 just because it more salt and exploit the umami fac-
was a private jet. Daniel saw they were tor,” said Robinson.
getting a bum deal and decided to bring Having established itself as the
fine dining to the market.” main British caterer for the super-
Hulme approached Alison Price rich, On Air Dining has expansion
Catering with the idea of starting an plans. “We’ve grown a phenomenal
aviation wing. They liked the idea and amount quickly and we now want to
Alison Price On Air was formed, which establish a network around the world.
lasted four years. Hulme then decided It depends how the model is taken up,
NETWORK to break away and formed On Air Din- but one option is to partner local pro-
The UK’s On Air Dining has become an ing in October 2014. Growth has been viders and to make sure they serve the
unofficial member of the network and rapid. The company started with seven high-quality food that is hard to find
Air Gourmet advises its clients to use the employees, but now it has 30 and it in most places.”
Stansted Airport-based British caterer is only a couple of months away from
when they fly to London. This is a great being profitable. In March this year, it
mark of respect for a company that only served 584 people on 131 flights. The
began trading on October 1st, 2014. average cost was £900 per flight.
On Air Dining’s clientele is similar
to Air Gourmet’s. They are the unim- MICHELIN-STARRED
aginably wealthy. “Ultra-high net worth Like its American counterparts, On Air
individuals are defined as having £5-10 Dining relies on highly trained chefs.
million in cash at their disposal. But Most have worked at Michelin-starred
most of our clients are even wealthier,” restaurants. The chefs use the technique
said Charlie Robinson, COO. “We ca- of ‘sous vide’, a method of cooking that
ter for some of the richest people from seals food in airtight plastic bags and Charlie Robinson,
Britain and around the world.” places them in a steam cooker for longer COO, On Air Dining
London-born chef Daniel Hulme than during normal cooking. “All
was the inspiration behind On Air Din- restaurants use it for some parts
ing. Hulme had experienced luxury din- of the menu, but we have
ing while employed as a chef at Scott’s taken ‘sous vide’ to another
of Mayfair and later he catered for the level by making sure all
wealthy elites holidaying in Juan Les proteins and vegetables
Pins in the South of France. But it wasn’t are tender and full of
until he worked for some of the sailing flavour and ready to be
teams in the Americas Cup in Valencia frozen and portioned
in 2007 that Hulme realised there was out,” said Robinson.
a gap in the market for a luxury caterer. On Air Dining has
“Ultra-high net worth individuals
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in cash at their disposal. But most
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Charlie Robinson
24 Airline Ground Services Summer/Autumn 2016 www.ags-airlinegroundservices.comYou can also read
