Aviapartner might loose handling license at BRU to Swissport

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Passenger
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by Passenger »

airazurxtror wrote:I am surely no supporter of strikes, but when you brutally announce to 1200 persons that up to half of them are about to lose their job, you are bound to get a brutal reaction.
It must be recognized that the agreement that has been reached today after a few hours of negociation could have been concluded before, and the strike avoided.
And if that firing of people was so easily avoidable, it was stupid not to say it at once.
The Swissport HR manager is obviously not very bright !
It was not "brutally announced", as you suggest. It was Brussels Airport - and not Swissport, as you say - who announced it. And Brussels Airport didn't announce that hundreds of people would loose their job. Brussels Airport only announced its decision which two companies have received the two 7 year contracts.

There was only one way for Brussels Airport to tell this: by telling it.

It was the union leaders - who were the first to hear from it - who have caused the problems. Example: they could have said "it's only from 1st November, so let's not panic". The union leaders could have said to their members: "Swissport will need lots of staff, and most likely they will take over all Aviapartner ground handlers".

But the biggest error from the union leaders in this story was their constant refusal for a third handler at BRU - refusal which resulted in minister Schouppe's decision to keep it with two (Schouppe is ACW - union minded).

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sn26567
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by sn26567 »

Irregularities in the Brussels Airport Company board meeting that ousted Aviapartner in favour of Swissport ?

La Libre Belgique published an interesting article today about what happened at the Board Meeting. It seems that Maquarie wanted Swissport at all costs! A lot of strange facts:
  • The meeting lasted for 4 hours instead of 45 minutes, a sign of strong disagreements
  • 2 of the 4 directors representing the Belgian Government were absent, whereas all 6 Maquarie directors were there
  • Airport management had to call in a lawyer to prevent negative votes which would have had a devastating effect. Nevertheless there seems to have been two abstentions, including one from a representative of the Belgian Government
  • The Brussels Airport users committee had clearly mentioned a preference for Avia partner and another handler. Everyone thought Flightcare would have to go, e.g. for the problems encountered with deicing fluis last winter...
  • The dossier concerning the selection of Flightcare and Swissport was not convincing at all. Aviapartner had better qualifications than Swissport in several items.
Anyway Aviapartner will go to court against Brussels Airport and will be defended by Christian Van Buggenhout, the lawyer for the Belgian State in he Sabena bankruptcy, against SAirGroup (of which Swissport was also a member...).
André
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by andorra-airport »

sn26567 wrote: It seems that Maquarie wanted Swissport at all costs!
All costs? Or should we say, all (financial) gains ?.............

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sn26567
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by sn26567 »

If such things get known, there will be a cost in image!
André
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zteven
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by zteven »

Let's hope the courtcase will stand.

cnc
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by cnc »

i'm very pleased to see we will finally have full handling by swissport 8-)
its a shame avia is sacrificed though
@zteven how do you feel about a switch to swissport?

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zteven
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by zteven »

cnc wrote: @zteven how do you feel about a switch to swissport?
Don't realy know. I like Aviapartner but if we can keep
the same working conditions i suppose it's not that bad.

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itami
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by itami »

Conti764 wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see FC eventually being replaced by something of SN/LH which will then service all Star Alliance airlines.
I fully share your thoughts Conti764 ;) Indeed this story isn't finished yet 8-) There's definitely something else in the air :mrgreen:

cnc
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by cnc »

itami wrote:
Conti764 wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see FC eventually being replaced by something of SN/LH which will then service all Star Alliance airlines.
I fully share your thoughts Conti764 ;) Indeed this story isn't finished yet 8-) There's definitely something else in the air :mrgreen:
i know most people want this and it would be better for both airlines and pax but i wouldn't count on it.

fcw
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by fcw »

Did LH and/or BruAir participate in the bidding process for a licence?

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itami
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by itami »

fcw wrote:Did LH and/or BruAir participate in the bidding process for a licence?
I guess they did not. On the other hand FCC (the holding company of Flightcare) might sell its handling activities to a new entity to be created/controlled by LH/SN. ;)

cnc
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by cnc »

fcw wrote:Did LH and/or BruAir participate in the bidding process for a licence?
airlines don't have to, they can start their own handling if wanted

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sn26567
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by sn26567 »

Secretary of State for Mobility Etienne Schouppe has asked BAC to postpone the signature of the handling contracts. He wants a thorough investigation on the regularity of the procedure.

Dutch: http://www.express.be/sectors/nl/logist ... 147658.htm
http://www.hbvl.be/nieuws/binnenland/ai ... sport.aspx
French: http://www.express.be/ (full reference not available, site under maintenance at the time of writing)
André
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fretn
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by fretn »

I smell something fishy, if it surfaces that corruption was used to gain the deal the board of bru should step up.

regi
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by regi »

hold on, corruption is a harsh word. I deal on a daily basis with purchasing departments of semi state organisations. Their way of purchasing is quite different than at a normal company.
Now Schouppe refers to that point system to award an order and he doubts that the spreading of points is according importance.
But I hope for him that he has done his homework: imagine that the original list of criteria was made up under the old state organisation before the privatisation... :?:

Secondly , if Schouppe has doubts about the criteria, he should criticize the people who are parachuted in the place to control those international bidding procedures, not the company itself or even the company that won the game.

cnc
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by cnc »

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... port.dhtml
menzies go's to court also :o
i still hope swissport remains one of the 2 handlers

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RoMax
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by RoMax »

This story is not going to end soon. I'm starting to doubt if everything will be sorted out before November 2011.
All these court cases, extra investigations,... could take a lot of time, and it could eventually result in two other handlers than FC and Swissport... I'm curious about the eventuall outcome of this whole "handling story".

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itami
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by itami »

MR_Boeing wrote:All these court cases, extra investigations,... could take a lot of time, and it could eventually result in two other handlers than FC and Swissport... I'm curious about the eventuall outcome of this whole "handling story".
I guess the 'haute finance' will decide. ;)

134flyer
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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by 134flyer »

cnc wrote:http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... port.dhtml
menzies go's to court also :o
i still hope swissport remains one of the 2 handlers
Well, HLN quotes De Tijd, so here's the original article:

http://www.tijd.be/nieuws/ondernemingen ... ht=menzies

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Re: Aviapartner lost handling license at BRU to Swissport

Post by sn26567 »

A judge of the Tribunal of Commerce of Brussels has blocked the handling contracts granted to Swissport and Flightcare. That means that Aviapartner will remain active at Brussels Airport until a decision is reached on the full process by which these contracts were decided. The court has asked for documnets on the renewal of the contracts to be handed over. This situation could last one or two years.

French: http://www.lecho.be/actualite/entrepris ... 4-3017.art
Dutch: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail ... 110629_059
André
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