Swissport expands presence in Germany with Apron acquisition

Sep 25, 2018: One of the major handling companies Swissport International AG has acquired cargo handler Apron GmbH, which includes a large-scale cargo warehouse.

With this acquisition, Swissport makes Stuttgart its second largest cargo hub in Germany after Frankfurt. The Swiss market leader will be handling most of the air cargo tonnage at the airport of the Swabian capital, mainly for globally operating airline clients.

The acquisition enables Swissport to increase its cargo revenues in Germany by nearly 20 percent and strengthens its market position in one of its core businesses.

“With the addition of Stuttgart to our global network, our clients will now be able to rely on our high-quality cargo services at eleven airports across Germany. Thanks to the direct tarmac access of the Stuttgart cargo facility, cargo shipments can be handled with short transit times,” says Willy Ruf, SVP for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at Swissport International AG.

Besides cargo handling Swissport will extend its product portfolio at Stuttgart airport to Cargo and Mail transport, security services and training.

With eleven million passengers Stuttgart is the eighth largest airport in Germany. More than 27,000 tonnes of air freight in 2017, including specialised car cargo shipments by the local car manufacturing industry, were handled in Stuttgart in 2017.

Swissport is investing at other German logistics hubs, too. In April 2018, the company announced a large-scale expansion of its cargo infrastructure at Frankfurt airport. The new custom-built air cargo warehouse will have a surface of around 16,000 square meters, making it the third largest in Swissport's global cargo network.