Parts of this article (those related to 2016) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2016)
In 1949, Belgavia was founded in Antwerp, Belgium. In the following years, it expanded their services to the airports of Ostend (1957), Liège (1965) and Brussels (1970). It was not until the 1990s for the company to go international. Bases in France and later in Germany were opened. In 1999, the name was changed to Aviapartner. The group expanded by taking over Servisair in Rotterdam (2002), Aero Groundservices in Amsterdam (2007) and SAT in Bordeaux and La Rochelle (2010).[3]
In 2011, Aviapartner lost its handling licence in Brussels for seven years to Swissport. This raised the prospect of thousands of job losses and led to a major 24-hour strike in June 2011 that affected many flights and passengers.[4] Aviapartner went to court as they believed judicial mistakes had been made. The judge ruled that a new investigation was to be conducted and that, in the meantime, Aviapartner could continue operations at the airport. Before a new investigation was concluded, Swissport took over Flightcare, the other ground handling company at the airport. Note that only two handling licences are issued at the airport.
In 2012, Aviapartner announced a merger with the French Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), which would have created the largest ground handler in Europe.[5] This merge was not successful.[6]
Range of ground handling services
Passenger handling:
Check-in, ticketing, boarding assistance, lost and found baggage services, assistance to disabled passengers, passenger ground transportation.
Ramp handling:
Loading and unloading of baggage and cargo to/from aircraft on the ramp, ground power provision for aircraft, cleaning, water and sanitary services, freight and baggage transfer to terminal, crew transfer from aircraft to terminal/hotel, pushback and towing, with headset, aircraft de-icing.
Traffic operations:
Preparation of flight documentation, ground-to-air communication, calculation of weight and balance, preparation of loadsheets, crew briefing, flight supervision.
Cargo handling:
Warehousing, palletizing, import and export procedures, customs clearance, trucking services.
Courier handling:
Transfer of courier and express shipments to/from other warehouses and aircraft, handling of express flights operated from the Brussels Airport Courier Center.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol presented Aviapartner with 'The Best Handler Award' in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 for its excellent performance in the areas of service, safety and co-operation.
Aviapartner received the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) registration for:
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