QR Cargo renews contract with Swissport in European, UK airports

Swissport and Qatar Airways Cargo have renewed a contract covering airport ground services and air cargo handling at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and signed new five-year contracts for cargo handling at the airports in Manchester and Birmingham in the UK.

The contract at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands includes ramp handling and air cargo warehousing as well as handling of general cargo, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods and temperature-sensitive goods. The contract is valid until the end of 2025. The renewed agreement provides Swissport with a substantial baseload of cargo tonnes per year at Amsterdam airport, where – thanks to direct ramp access – it offers fast and secure transfers of cargo shipments to and from aircraft through the Swissport warehouse.

Swissport can also link Qatar Airways Cargo to regional airports across the UK via its Manchester and Birmingham warehouses, utilizing its road feeder services to Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow and Newcastle, which are not served directly. These new five-year contracts, commencing 1 September 2020, further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Swissport and Qatar Airways Cargo.

“We are honoured to again be entrusted by Qatar Airways Cargo, one of the leading air cargo carriers,” says Rudolf Steiner, Swissport’s senior vice president - Cargo for EMEA. “Through consistent performance and reliable quality delivered across all airports, we continue to proof the value of our services to our global customers.”

Guillaume Halleux, chief officer - Cargo at Qatar Airways said, “Our long-term partnership with Swissport in Amsterdam, Manchester and Birmingham will allow us to offer our customers fast, seamless and efficient handling for all types of cargo. With a strong focus on sustainability and compliance, we see Swissport as the perfect fit for cargo handling at these destinations.”

Qatar Airways Cargo is moving significant business via Swissport’s cargo hubs in Amsterdam, Basel, Liège and London Stansted where it provides both ramp services and cargo handling related activities to them.