Nice : Swissport would be sold to Candover Partners Limited

It is one of the « collateral » effects of the crash for the second French air group, Swissair Swissport, the subsidiary dedicated to the airport assistance and the problems which result from them now. It should be sold to a financial group. Swissair, which is planning to re-focus on the airline transport, entered a stage of exclusive negotiations with Candover Partners Limited. These negotiations should come to a cession at the end of October or beginning of November.

Swissport international (670 million euros in turnover in 1999, 15,000 collaborators in 124 airports of 23 countries) is one of the worldwide leaders of the assistance in airports. In the great euphoria in Switzerland within the year 2000, the company had established its French subsidiary in Nice. It showed great ambitions. The creation of approximately one hundred jobs was planned with a wish to offer services in the business airline, and a project to set up in about ten additional French airports at the end of 2001. These ambitions were confronted to the tough reality of the crash.