4 HANDLING NEWS
and direct access to the ramp, and will include 24 horse stalls, a separate quarantine area and cleaning facilities for air stalls. In addition to the facility’s own staff, experienced grooms will be on standby at all times to assist when required.
The facility will be fully certificated
for VWA (veterinary) inspections, and will operate as a Border Inspection Post for acceptance and clearance of horse movements into the EU from any part of the world. Initially, the facility will cater only for horses; handling of other live animals will be included in due course. Says Gerard Kervezee, Aviapartner’s Manager – Commerce, for the Netherlands: “Our aim in opening this new facility is not to create more competition, but to increase the airport’s current market share of equine business by providing extra capacity and enhanced facilities. It will also enable Aviapartner to broaden its service offering to airline clients.” Adds Edwin Hofstede, of European Cargo Services: “The combined in- house expertise and knowhow of ECS and Aviapartner, our prime location, the resources to handle all aircraft types, and the ability to add ground transportation mean we can provide the market with a one-stop-shop for all horse movements through Schiphol.” According to Saskia van Pelt, Business Development Director for the airport’s dedicated cargo arm, Schiphol Cargo, the handling and international transportation of horses has always been an important activity at Schiphol, for which the airport has an excellent reputation. “We believe the creation of this additional facility strengthens our position in this demanding and specialised market sector, and will further increase the appeal of Schiphol as a gateway for live animal movements into and out of Europe.”
Iberia’s woes to be tackled: five year plan mooted
Iberia, which merged with British Airways to become the International Airlines Group in 2011, announced widescale redundancies at the end of last year in an attempt to claw back some of the losses that it sustained during that period. The first six months saw it lose €263m whilst the third quarter’s losses were half as much again. The problems stemming from the Euro crisis, coupled with rising fuel costs have contributed to the situation. BA, which turned in a profit during the same period, believes that the Spanish carrier will have to go through
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2013
a similar sort of restructuring process to emerge in a healthy state – but this will take some time.
The initial announcement talked of job losses totalling 7,000, although the carrier’s unions had been expecting this news for some months; subsequent reports have trimmed that figure to around 4,500. Whilst the carrier searches for profitability, the International Airlines Group has been considering a full takeover of the Spanish low cost carrier, Vueling, of which it currently owns part. Following meetings, a transformation plan was drawn up. Part of the initiative will aim at seeing Iberia’s cash losses stemmed by mid-2013; and there is hope that a turnaround in profitability of at least €600m from 2012 levels will be achievable, to align Iberia with IAG’s target return on capital of 12% by 2015. On a day-to-day level, network capacity is to be cut by 15% this year to allow the carrier to focus on profitable routes. A fleet downsizing (by 25 aircraft) is on the cards and the above- mentioned redundancy figure of 4,500 is to be implemented. New commercial initiatives will also be taken to boost unit revenues: these will include increased ancillary sales and a website redesign. Also announced were the discontinuation of non-profitable third party maintenance services and the retention of profitable ground handling operations outside Madrid. The transformation is to be funded from Iberia’s internal resources. Finally, Iberia and unions representing
ground staff and cabin crews, comprising 93% of the total staff, have agreed to negotiate the terms of the company’s Transformation Plan, aimed at restoring profitability and ensuring the airline’s future.
In a mid-December meeting, Iberia’s management reiterated its wish to rely chiefly on early retirements to achieve about two-thirds of the staff reduction that was called for in the plan. It is also prepared to negotiate such formulae as funding voluntary resignations and looking at the transfer of employees to different positions or different locations. The two sides agreed to negotiate terms for a five-year period through to 2017. The company stressed that its restructuring plan indicates its commitment to the future of the company, which has plans to invest heavily in new aircraft, new long haul seating classes, improvements to its Madrid hub, along with enhancing its maintenance, handling and cargo divisions.
The company has pledged to keep the maintenance and handling division within the group, but on condition that
it remains profitable enough to grow or to win new handling contracts.
Towards a simpler check-in process at Finnair
Finnair customers began to take advantage of the world’s easiest check-in service at the end of November. At that point Finnair began to check in a customer automatically and send boarding passes to the customer’s mobile phone. The check-in confirmation includes the seat number and a link to the mobile boarding pass. The automatic check-in service is available to customers who have provided a mobile telephone number when booking the ticket. Customers are always advised
to provide a current mobile phone number when making a booking, as in exceptional circumstances, Finnair sends information via text message to customers. The service is automatically turned on when a customer’s information is entered in their Finnair Plus profile.
Checking in via SMS service has been available since 2004. Previously, customers had to reply to a Finnair text message confirming their check-in: henceforth this will be unnecessary, as the check-in is completed automatically. For morning departures, customers receive check-in confirmation and boarding cards on the night before, between 17:00 and 19:00. For other flights, customers are checked in about three hours before departure. If the customer has already checked in, no message will be sent. Check-in for Finnair flights opens 36 hours before the flight’s departure.
If customers wish to change seating or check in accompanying travellers, this can be done either by the link in the mobile boarding pass or on the Finnair website. At the airport, the mobile boarding pass must be opened and presented to the authorities. The mobile phone must have an Internet connection to open the link. Otherwise, the customer needs a paper boarding pass, which can be picked up at an automatic kiosk or the Bag Drop desk. Checked baggage is left at the Bag Drop desk during normal check-in times.
New dawn for Aurora
Aurora Aviation recently announced the start of its operations at Juba International airport, in the Republic of South Sudan, through its subsidiary Aurora Aviation Services. Juba International, which serves the capital of the country, is one of two
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