WORLD ANALYSIS
unavailable or unserviceable. “We intend to introduce
and scale this at all our other locations. Our Bengaluru
cargo operations introduced slip sheet handling for
air freight shipments. is contemporary solution was
launched to address material handling and storage
challenges.” is year marks ten years of operations in
India for AISATS and thus investment in innovation and
digital solutions is expected to be considerable. “Growing
our cargo business will be another key strategic business
area for us,” Andrade notes.
Business growth
Despite negative trends seeming to dominate the
industry in 2019, Key reports that Menzies has continued
to increase its regional market share in the Asia Paci c
region, with new businesses established in Canberra and
Cairns. Its latest business partnership in Indonesia has
continued to expand and this is expected to continue in
2020, while its Macau business remains stable. “We have
seen an increase in turns since the opening of the bridge
connecting Macau and Hong Kong, with several freighter
operators preferring to land in Macau and truck cargo to
and from Hong Kong,” Key reports.
According to Goovaerts, dnata’s new regional structure
has enabled business optimisation. “We have managed to
improve service delivery across all dnata APAC airports,
which resulted in multiple contract wins across Australia,
Singapore and the Philippines,” he says. Several new
accolades have also been achieved, including ISO 9001
renewal in Singapore for ground, cargo and catering
services, renewal of its IATA ISAGO registration in
Singapore, Australia and the Philippines, as well as CEIV
Pharma and GDP certi cation in Singapore, with the
latter also acquired at Sydney and Melbourne.
Swissport has also enjoyed plentiful growth this year,
relays Rutherford. “We launched our sixth ground
handling station in Okinawa in September 2019 and
invested heavily in new GSE. is trend is likely to
continue in 2020 with a focus on employee programmes
to ensure strong retention.” He adds that Swissport’s
operation there has seen a 21% increase in the number of
than 20 years,” Rutherford enthuses. e
handler will also open its rst Aspire
lounge for the Asia Paci c region at Perth
airport in mid-2020. It also launched
Swissport Executive Aviation at Auckland
airport late last year.
Future musings
Looking ahead, Kwong is reserved in his
expectations. “2020 will not be a record
year for the industry, and few are likely to
be over-worked this year; so we should all
take this opportunity to consider how we
can further integrate and streamline our
industry so that it remains competitive,”
he suggests. Cargo is expected to remain
at in 2020, notes Sinclair, but BFS
anticipates that e-commerce will continue
to grow. He adds that, with the current
political issues in the Middle East,
oil prices are likely to be a signi cant
challenge in 2020, which could lead to a
downturn in ramp and passenger tra c –
a sentiment which Rutherford reiterates.
Rutherford furthermore believes that
APAC will continue to be the fastest
growing aviation market. “I predict that
the growth trend in Japan will continue
in 2020, supported by the upcoming
summer Olympics and the open sky treaty
with China.” Goovaerts also points to an
upswing in tra c. “Local and regional
point-to-point tra c, mainly operated
by narrow-body aircra , will increase
further. Service providers must provide
tailored solutions,” he advises.
More broadly, Key anticipates further
consolidation in the airlines space, with
new alliances formed. “ is will drive
improved operational e ciency, with
new trade lanes for freight and new direct
sectors for passenger tra c,” he says
positively. e low cost carrier market will
continue to grow, he adds, predicting that
legacy carriers may introduce a low cost
brand to compete on certain routes. “ e
Asia Paci c ground handling arena could
be in a similar situation, with partnerships
formed between the global operators and
some of the smaller local operators to gain
further market share in Asia in particular,”
he believes.
From politics to market uctuation,
the Asia Paci c region is struggling with
the universal challenges of the aviation
industry, in addition to its own unique
challenges at present. But, while these
are expected to continue, so too does
investment and con dence in the future
prosperity of the sector, as the handlers
con rm. ghi
“We have managed
to improve service
delivery across
all dnata APAC
airports”
Dirk Goovaerts
dnata
ights handled since 2018.
is January saw
Swissport launch its
rst cargo operation in
Australia, meanwhile,
signing a lease for a brandnew
air cargo facility at
Melbourne airport – with
other locations soon to
be announced. “ is is an
exciting time for Swissport
as we take the rst formal
step in our plans to bring
a fresh approach and a
more competitive o er to
a market that has not seen
a new entrant for more
Dnata has renewed various
accreditations at Changi airport,
including IATA’s CEIV and ISAGO
24 February 2020 Ground Handling International