ACW - Air Cargo Week
06/21/2012
Swissport grows in mood of optimism
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Swissport continues to expand its considerable network, points out John Batten, executive vice president, global cargo, at Zurich-based handler Swissport International.
It opened in Tokyo-Narita and Osaka Kansai in the last six months and will begin cargo handling in Copenhagen on 1 July. It is soon to begin ground handling in Morocco, and Batten is expecting a cargo handling deal covering Casablanca to follow in very short order.
Despite all the challenges facing what has been something of a depressed air freight industry of late, he remains confident and optimistic for the future. Some of the reason for that positivity is his faith in the value that Swissport offers its customers.
While always competitive on price, it is also about the value that the handler can provide, Batten stressed. It offers transparency on quality with an emphasis on key performance indicators (KPIs), while technology is introduced wherever possible to speed cargo flows and improve efficiency.
Swissport has worked with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on e-freight, he observed, on Cargo 2000 and on Time and Temperature. It is determined to improve standards across the whole industry, Batten stated, and is supporting industry-wide initiatives such as these with "time and effort".
By being so involved in these initiatives, Swissport can stay "ahead of the curve" and be among the first to introduce any quality-improving measures as and when beneficial to do so, he pointed out.
"We've attacked the business differently from others," Batten explained. Swissport has tried to reduce its costs by using these initiatives, even if they require funding, to increase quality and lower costs for airline customers.
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