Swissport invests in LHR with full acquisition of Cargo Handling Ltd.

Zurich-based cargo handler Swissport is purchasing the remaining 50 percent stake in Heathrow Cargo Handling Ltd. (HCH) – the other half of which it already owns.

Swissport’s executive vice president for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region, Luzius Wirth, said the move will “round off our global cargo business,” adding that “on the basis of over 20 years of successful business, jointly with Air France, Swissport now has the right setup to further develop and enhance its service offering at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).”

At present, Swissport operates two warehouses with a total surface area of some 165,000 square feet at the hub. Last year, the HCH joint venture handled more than 150,000 tonnes of air cargo – 7 percent more than in 2017. Swissport said the completion of the HCH share acquisition is now subject to the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority approval, which it expects to receive in H1 2019.

LHR isn’t the only European hub in which Swissport is working to grow its presence. In April, it signed an agreement with Fraport Group to construct a warehouse at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), which it said at the time is scheduled to start in 2019 and be completed in Q3 2020.

In early December, Swissport also consolidated its management structure from nine  regions to three – EMEA, APAC (Asia-Pacific) and Americas – which went into effect on Jan. 1.