Swissport and Ryanair conclude major partnership agreement for six years, commencing February 2006

Zurich/Dublin/Stansted, February 1st, 2006 – Swissport International, the world’s leading aviation services group, has concluded a major six-year cooperation agreement with Ryanair, the highly successful low-cost carrier. Under the terms of the new accord, Swissport will handle more than 54 000 Ryanair flights a year at London Stansted Airport, the carrier’s prime UK hub. This agreement which covers over 150 departures per day, further extends Swissport’s leading position in the UK ground services market.

The two companies have been business partners at London Stansted Airport, through Swissport’s Groundstar UK-based subsidiary since March 2002. In concluding a new cooperation agreement with Swissport (which will run from February 20, 2006 to March 2012), Ryanair has not only prematurely extended its current agreement for a further six years; it has also entrusted Swissport with full responsibility for those flights that are presently handled by Stansted Ground Operations (SGO).

Ryanair, which is the world’s leading low-cost carrier, operates 39 aircraft from its Stansted hub, offering some 150 flights a day to over 80 destinations. Under the new agreement, Swissport will provide full passenger, ramp and ticketing services for all these operations. The accord will also see some 120 current SGO employees transfer to Swissport.

“We are very pleased with this new agreement,” says Nigel Daniel, Executive Vice President Commercial/Sales at Swissport International. “In the ever-evolving airline business, continuity and cost leadership are key success factors and we are delighted that Ryanair has put such long-term faith in Swissport for all its ground handling needs.”

Ryanair is equally satisfied. “As a low-cost carrier, we are especially dependent on having short turnarounds and high flexibility along with impeccable quality for our ground operations,” says Adrian Dunne, Deputy Ground Operations Director. “Our collaboration with Swissport has already proved its worth. And this latest agreement puts us in an excellent position to face tomorrow’s challenges in cost terms, too.”

The low-cost-carrier business is showing exceptionally strong growth and the airline is already one of Swissport’s five biggest customers in turnover terms. The new long-term agreement will also help Swissport maintain a rate of expansion that is tangibly above the overall market average.



With a workforce of around 21 000 personnel, Swissport International Ltd. (which is owned by Ferrovial, a leading European infrastructure and service corporation based in Spain) provides ground services for over 70 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 600 client companies. Swissport is active at 174 airports in 40 countries on five continents, and generated consolidated revenues of around CHF 1.5 billion (EUR 950 million or USD 1.2 billion) last year. www.swissport.com

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