24 GSE INNOVATION
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2013
approached Mallaghan with a view to working with the constructor towards a simpler, cheaper solution. I won’t reiterate the story of this beltloader since it’s already been written. However, as might be expected with any innovation these days, be it a humble example of GSE or a multi-million dollar aircraft, there are always wrinkles to iron out as the product goes into service. In that respect, Groupe Europe Handling was well placed to comment. But first, a little background to the French handling company.
Flair France
Being a pioneer (or a guinea pig, depending on how you look at these things), isn’t always easy. Alwyn Brice brings an update from Paris.
t’s mid-afternoon at Charles de Gaulle. There’s a biting wind whistling across the ramp, the
mercury is hovering about 1ºC and dark clouds are gathering on the horizon, a portent of the hailstones to come. But for the moment, at least, visibility is good and I can take my pictures. In front of me is an afternoon easyJet flight which is being attended by Groupe Europe Handling. Nothing out of the ordinary in that, save that if you look a little closer, you’ll see that the two beltloaders being utilised are not the standard type of device found at airports all over the world. No – these are examples of the Mallaghan Bendi Belt, which was reported on last year (see Ground Handling International,
June 2012). What’s significant about this is that here, in Paris, they are being put through their paces by their first mainland Europe customer, that of Groupe Europe Handling. The company currently has two working intermittently at the airport but these form just a part of the total order of 24. If you have read the article published last year you will know that easyJet was seeking a more efficient and healthier approach to the loading and unloading operation out on the ramp. And, if you know your GSE, you’ll be aware that at last count there are three solutions out there in the marketplace. However, a low cost carrier is always looking for a competitive edge – which was why the UK-based airline
The French connection Conceived in 1994, Groupe Europe Handling was initially a modest enterprise, majoring in ramp services. Within five years it had been bought by the Groupe Crit, though, and there followed the award of a licence at Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2, in 2001. By 2007 it had added baggage forwarding at France’s main airport and it started ticketing operations the following year. Then, in 2009, came the licence renewal process at Paris, which saw the company retain its operations at CDG (Terminal 2) but add CDG Terminal 1, Orly West and Orly South to its portfolio. Along the way its operation expanded so that today it can point, for instance, to customers in London, Dublin, Sierra Leone, Gabon and Mali. In all, the enterprise lists almost 100 client airlines; has a current staff of around 2,000 and (in 2011) was handling over 210,000 flights a year. Insofar as its breadth of experience goes, the company can offer most services, including that of mail: the only significant item not appearing on its agenda is that of cargo, although Franck Romand, the Directeur Général Adjoint, says that he would be happy to take up the freight challenge if it appeared. Equipped with state-of-the- art IT (courtesy of SITA/Workbridge and Pl@net), this is a focussed operation and one that is looking forward to next year, when the Paris licences come up for renewal. “There are three licences for each terminal,” explains Franck, “and currently, there are five handlers in Paris, including us. Whilst we take around 80% of the market share, nothing is certain. I can tell you that we’ve never lost a client in the years that we’ve operated, which says something; and that our staff tend to stay, so there is a high degree of loyalty.” Hugo Ehrhard, the company’s Commercial Director, underlines this fact, adding that recruiting staff in the Parisian region presents little problem.
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