By settling its head-office in Nice, the branch of SAirGroup wants to become a French leader for airport assistance. A support point which is going to be very useful for the second French air pole.
Starting from the French Riviera, Swissport wants to become a leader in ground assistance in France. By announcing the arrival of Swissport France in Nice and the settlement of its head-office, the new branch of SairGroup (Swissair) created early January 2001 for airport assistance, Jan Tindemans, the president, did not hide the ambitions of the company.
Already three hundred people on the airport of the Riviera
Of course, the objective is to increase the activity volume in Nice where Swissport is already composed of 300 people and deals with some 30.000 flights for 2 million passengers. Nice has shown to be a very interesting plat-form. The market is sizeable (76 million euros per year shared for the moment with Air France and the Belgian company Avia which last year has taken-over Air Azur from Nice) and it is less locked than in Paris where ADP (Aéroports de Paris) keeps a dominating position.
But Swissport France doesn't want to content oneself with Nice. From its position on the first French provincial airport, it is decided to set out to take the French market. Already settled in Marseilles, Lyons, Montpellier, and Toulouse it is already scheduled to settle in 10 airports before the end of the year (Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes and Strasbourg…) and to widen its activity in Roissy.
Three new variations in 2001
The growth should also occur by diversification. Other three entities should be launched in 2001. In February, Swissport Executive : created under the form of a co-company with the American firm Universal Weather and Aviation with an objective of a niche market : the assistance for business and private flights. In May, it will be the turn of Swissport Express, dedicated to the delivery of luggage at home and carriage in limousine. Third variation : Swissport intends to ad to its range an assistance branch for freight traffic by taking over a French firm.
It is true that for the second French pole in progress of building-up, the creation of a solid airport assistance service on the plat-form in Nice and in France is part of a more global strategy. Within the struggle that has begun with Air France, this is a logistic support which will be very precious to find its place in the French sky.