Swissport establishes global cargo chair to “place focus on cargo”

Swissport International announced further strengthening its air cargo business by establishing the function of a global cargo chair and appointing Dirk Goovaerts to the role in addition to his current position as the head of the Middle East & Africa region.

“He will particularly focus on the strategic development of the cargo business,” reads the release.

The new chair will bring together Swissport's cargo experts from across the network, who will contribute their market knowledge and customer relationships. Sharing best practices, jointly developing strategies, and aligning in the development of new markets are key focus areas.

“Swissport is one of the largest air cargo handling companies in the world. Air cargo is one of the strategic pillars and of fundamental importance to our airline customers and the global supply chain,” says Dirk Goovaerts.

“Going forward, we will further develop our product with a special focus on digital acceleration, innovation and seamless integration with stakeholders in the air cargo community. Our goal is to become the air cargo handler of choice, delivering operational excellence for existing and potential customers in 116 warehouses around the world.”

Dirk Goovaerts has joined Swissport on 1 September 2021. He has a proven track record in operating large cargo warehouses, customer centricity, operational excellence, innovation, digital acceleration and turnaround management, both driving growth and creating value for the customers. Prior to joining Swissport, Dirk was CEO Asia Pacific with dnata. Previous roles included the positions as COO of Saudi Ground Services Company and Senior Vice President Europe with Menzies Aviation.