26 WORLD ANALYSIS


GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2013 BAS: new vision ahead


Last year, the company showed a very healthy growth despite the challenging times. This was made possible by employing more efficient cost control measures through the constant review and reduction of overall company expenditure, in spite of inflationary pressures and the fact that BAS raised staff remuneration by 13% on average. “One of the main objectives of the past year and for 2013 is to transform the DNA of the company, converting BAS into a competitive and flexible organisation with a performance-based and customer-centric culture leading to value-added services,” George stresses. “A number of organisational changes were implemented, while more are currently underway, modifying the structure of key business units to achieve more efficient and leaner management.” An intensive process re-engineering was launched to streamline operating procedures, as well as to optimise the use of human resources and ground support equipment. Emphasis was placed on the training of all operational staff, with 54,000 student training hours delivered in 2012 and many more planned for 2013. Additional customer services training for all front line staff is provided complementary to other scheduled basic training modules. Furthermore, workshops, driven by senior management, are implemented systematically, focusing on key operational issues. The first stage of a Management Development Programme was also concluded in 2012, paving the way for the future breed of BAS managers and leaders. The establishment of an equitable culture and a motivating working environment is the cornerstone of the human capital policy, as built on the corporate values of ethos, teamwork, transparency and fairness. BAS was awarded last December the “Shield of Excellence” by the Minister of Labour for its outstanding labour reward policies. This comes on top of other international awards including On Time Performance & Cargo Services by Gulf Air; Line Maintenance by Etihad Airways; Specialised Security and Catering Services by United Airlines and the Dilmun Lounge by Priority Pass, to name but a few.


“BAS is reinventing itself, embracing the latest technological advances and best operational practices,”he adds. A new Cargo Handling System will go live in March, while a new Resource Management System, based on a SITA Workbridge application, is under deployment. Furthermore, BAS developed in-house an integrated Performance Monitoring System, with more than 600 predefined key performance indicators for all company divisions for the processing and systematic monitoring of departmental operational efficiency and service delivery quality, as well as the monitoring and benchmarking of corporate and management performance. Many other infrastructural and operational enhancements are also in the pipeline, such as the upgrade of premium passenger buses with luxurious interiors, boosting the quality of service, the enhancement of the exclusive premium passenger services and the acquisition of new technology curved beltloaders for faster aircraft turnarounds. As for the longer term strategy, George adds: “We are at an advanced stage of exploring opportunities for expanding into new revenue streams, not only regionally but also in emerging markets. Airport operations and management, premium lounges, cargo logistics and warehousing, aircraft maintenance and training, aviation security as well as diversified activities such as industrial and health care catering are some of the domains we’re examining.”


Not all plain sailing


Elsewhere, in Egypt, things have not all been plain sailing; at least that is the opinion of Mohamed Hanno, Executive Chairman and CEO of ASE. “Looking back at the past 12 months, the political instability has been challenging to the region and has negatively affected the aviation and tourism industry. North Africa, especially Egypt, has faced numerous obstacles which have immensely affected our operations; however, the ASE Group has always managed to pass through difficult times by looking ahead and preparing for future plans of expansion. “Throughout 2012, and as part of our long-standing commitment towards our team members, we seized the opportunity to increase our staff training in Egypt, Morocco and the UAE, and further develop our employees by focussing on our core competencies to provide our partner airlines with even higher quality service and standards. As a result of this hard teamwork, intensive training and compliance with


international safety standards, ASE–Egypt and ASE–Morocco headquarters, as well as ASE Service Delivery Units in Cairo, Hurghada, Alexandria Borg El-Arab and Sharm El-Sheikh, Agadir and Marrakech all successfully passed ISAGO renewal audits; furthermore, ASE–Egypt was a winner in the GHI Ramp Safety Awards for 2012 in Milan.


“Meanwhile, the inevitable cancellations of flights to Egypt by different carriers have been balanced out for ASE–Egypt when we first signed up as Partners on the Ground with Air Arabia Group-Egypt, Morocco and UAE, and briefly afterwards, FlyGeorgia, adding two partners to our portfolio amidst the difficult conditions the country has been through. Consequently, our staff has increased by 15% compared to 2011 and includes more full time employees. In addition, all our existing and new team members continue to undergo extensive training and development to continually meet and exceed our partners’ expectations and standards. “As part of the group’s expansion strategy, ASE has further increased its operational volume at Borg El-Arab airport, having an unprecedented market share and significant presence. Borg El-Arab takes the accolade for being one of the busiest airports in Egypt and is perpetually growing in importance as a regional hub, as portrayed by the increase in traffic, especially for the low cost carriers. As for international expansion, we lost a tender in Morocco in 2011 but are currently enrolled for another within Africa, in addition to plans for entering another tender this year.


“In an attempt to aid the development of the industry as a whole, ASE–Egypt has presented to the Egyptian Civil Aviation an initiative for implementing the Open Sky policy. Believing in its importance, we have put forward a comprehensive presentation, outlining its advantages and disadvantages for Egypt. We also tackled the issue of the ramp services duopoly in Egypt, as we truly believe that it is extremely important and beneficial to the market to open tenders for other suppliers for the provision of ramp services. As a start, it could begin with medium-sized airports such as Assiut and Sohag or new airports such as those that might be under consideration for low cost carriers.


“Last, but not least, the discouraging conditions in the aviation and tourism market in Egypt throughout 2012 have not stopped us from attending and participating internationally in events, exhibitions and workshops as part of the group’s marketing strategy. We continue to look forward to an international presence in 2013.”


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