Swissport opens its second largest air cargo hub in Germany

Sep 25, 2018: With the acquisition of cargo handler Apron GmbH, Stuttgart became the largest cargo hub of Swissport in Germany, topped by the Swiss company’s Frankfurt facility.

Swissport International AG is adding a large-scale cargo warehouse to its global network of 133 such facilities with this development. 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.

"The expansion of our cargo services to Stuttgart underlines our growth ambitions in the air cargo segment. 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. With the direct tarmac access of the Stuttgart cargo facility, cargo shipments can be handled with short transit times," said Willy Ruf, senior vice president 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 metres, making it the third largest in Swissport's global cargo network.