LATEST ISSUE
Summer 2019
Welcome to the Summer 2019 edition of Airline Routes & Ground Services.
This issue features a special report on one of Europe’s main aviation markets Germany (page 4) – where some airlines have been struggling to make a profit and survive and there has been some casualties.
The low-cost carrier (LCC) under the spotlight is Wizz Air (page 8) where Megan Ramsey finds out how business is and what are the future plans of one of the continent’s fastest-growing LCCs.
The full-service carrier focus is on LOT Polish Airlines (page 12) which is now reaping the benefits of a comprehensive restructuring programme and is now on a firm financial footing and has ever-developing route network.
Every issue we focus on airline route development in a different region and this time it is a detailed look at the European market (page 16) where we look at any operating constraints, developments, new entrants and what airlines are doing to expand their networks.
This issue was written in the build-up to the 32nd IATA Ground Handling Conference, taking place in Madrid on 26-29 May and it includes a preview (page 22 ) of the much-anticipated event in the ground handling calendar.
Ground handling is evolving and one airline that has gone down the self-handling model is Ryanair which has invested and set-up two handling units of its own at London Stansted Airport and for all its operations in Spain. We speak to the airline’s Director of Operations, Adrian Dunne about the move (page 24).
We also get an overview of the marketplace from a number of ground handlers including Turkish Ground Services, Havas, Agunsa, Talma, AeroGround, Qatar Aviation Services and Aviary (pages 26-33).
Strong and effective leadership at ground handlers, airlines and airports is vital in order to be a success, and in this issue David Smith (page 34) speaks to a senior leader at Baltic Ground Services, Eurowings and Manchester Airport, to hear how their thoughts on leadership.
In this issue we also hear about the future plans of five airports (page 38): London City Airport, St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport, Dallas Fort/Worth International Airport and Athens International Airport.
So much investment and talk in today’s world is about technology and innovation and the issue also looks at autonomous aircraft, vehicles and robots (page 46) which are set to revolutionise airside operations and the passenger experience and we find out about how more virtual reality training is to be used in ground handling (page 50).
I hope you enjoy reading the issue.
Take A Peek
Featured in this issue
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The EU market of change and challenge
Germany’s airline marketplace looks very different to what it did a few years ago after the demise of key players but capacity is being filled by both new and old entrants in one of Europe’s bigge...
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Game-changer
Diederik Pen, executive vice president at Wizz Air, brings Megan Ramsay up to speed with the Hungarian low-cost carrier’s rapid development so far – and its plans for the future Wizz Air report...
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Madrid to take centre stage for IGHC
The ground handling community is facing widespread global challenges as passenger traffic grows at pace and industry professionals will come together for IATA’s annual event, writes Justin Burns ...
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Ryanair to self-handle in Spain and Stansted
Increasing ground handling operational challenges lead Ryanair to set to two ground handling arms, director of operations Adrian Dunne tells Justin Burns Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair is now self-...
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Beating the bottlenecks
The demand for European air connectivity continues to grow but bottlenecks are increasing, and the race is on to ensure the continent has enough capacity on the ground and in the sky, writes Graham Ne...
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Route Development Europe
The closure of a batch of airlines in Europe since the end of 2018 and this year has opened up opportunities in the marketplace, writes Justin Burns The last eight months has seen much upheaval in ...
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Poland’s national carrier spreading its wings
LOT Polish Airlines is reaping the benefits of a successful restructuring programme and its prime geographical position in the fast-growing Central and Eastern European region, writes Justin Burns ...
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Room to grow
Turkish Ground Services is busier than ever before and is set for more growth with the move to Istanbul Airport, writes Megan Ramsay Turkish Ground Services (TGS) has seen increasing demand for its...
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Havas makes the great move and eyeing up an even brighter future
Turkish ground handler Havas has had a busy start to the year as it moved operations from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to the new Istanbul Airport in early April. This has seen Havas double its footprint...
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Markets open up in the south
Talma and Agunsa are both dealing with a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges, writes Justin Burns The Latin American ground handling marketplace is braced for more development as new airlines...
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Closing the gap
AeroGround is looking to add new clients after German carrier Germania ceased operations, write Justin Burns German ground handler AeroGround has had an interesting and challenging start to 2019 af...
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The ground handler keeps on growing in tandem with home carrier Qatar Airways and is looking to expand internationally in future
Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) has grown in Doha as Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport have evolved into one of the globe’s biggest airlines and airports respectively. The ground handler ...
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Handling in the untapped continent
Egyptian headquartered Aviary continues to evolve and is looking to widen its presence, writes Justin Burns Cairo-based ground handler Aviary has built up a strong and sustainable business providin...
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Leadership
Strong leadership is essential in the fast-moving aviation industry due to the intense competition and diverse range of operational challenges writes David Smith, who spoke to three industry leaders ...
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Interesting times at London City Airport
London City Airport (LCY) is an interesting time as record numbers are being flown in and out of the airport which is also in the middle of a revamp. Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer, LCY sai...
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Growth showing no signs of slowing
St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport is Russia’s fourth largest airport and continues to grow and is planning for the future, writes Justin Burns Traffic has grown 166% over the last decade at St. Peter...
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Milan Bergamo
Milan Bergamo Airport is to undergo a development programme to meet rising demand and expansion, writes Justin Burns Milan Bergamo Airport has grown into the third busiest gateway in Italy for pass...
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View of the Airports
Dallas Fort/Worth International Airport is the world’s 12th busiest airport for passenger traffic and more is set to come, writes Justin Burns Dallas Fort/Worth International Airport (DFW) has bi...
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Athens International Airport
More growth on the way at fast expanding Athens International Airport, writes Justin Burns Athens International Airport has delivered strong passenger traffic growth over the last five to six years...
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The March of the Robots
Autonomous aircraft, vehicles and robots are set to revolutionise airside operations and the passenger experience Automation is gradually replacing manual activities and processes across the aviati...
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Changing times for ground handling training
Virtual reality was first used by IATA to train ground handling staff in 2017 and its use is to be expanded, writes Justin Burns Ground handling has never been as under pressure as it is in today�...
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