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Menzies to acquire majority stake in AJAS Limited

Menzies Aviation is extending its American network to Jamaica by acquiring a majority stake in AJAS Limited.Menzies Aviation aquires majority stake in Jamaican-based AJAS Limited
The privately owned ground and cargo handling company has operated in Jamaica for over 82 years, employs almost 600 staff and provides ramp, passenger and cargo handling services to several international airlines at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
Following the acquisition, AJAS Limited will be rebranded as Menzies AJAS, bringing it in line with other companies in the Menzies Group and the current management team will stay in place.
John Redmond, Executive Vice President Americas of Menzies Aviation, said: “The Menzies AJAS combination brings together local knowledge, relationships and expertise, which will strengthen our position in this market. We look forward to working with the AJAS team to grow the business under the Menzies brand.”
Howard Mitchell, Chairman of AJAS, said: “We have a shared vision with Menzies and are aligned on the value of our employees and how we look after them, which in turn maximizes the service they provide as well as the return to our stakeholders.”
The transaction is expected to close in a matter of weeks, subject to regulatory approval, and the rebranding and integration into Menzies’ global network will begin this month.

Talma completes Servicios Aéreos Integrados acquisition

Talma 2Peruvian company Talma, from Grupo Sandoval, has acquired Servicios Aéreos Integrados (SAI), a Colombian company owned by Avianca.
SAI operates in the Colombian airports of Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Montería, Ibagué, Neiva, Pereira and Pasto, in which they mainly provide ground assistance services, passenger service and baggage clearance.
The transaction was made through TSA Investments Inc. S.A., a holding company based in Peru and is Talma’s second acquisition in Colombia as in 2019, they bought LASA, an airport services company based in Medellín.
Arturo Cassinelli, Corporate General Manager of Talma, said: “This acquisition is part of the regional expansion plan that started in 2010 with the entry into the Mexican market and continued with the acquisition of a ramp services company in Ecuador in 2017. Today, the company specialising in airport services and air logistics, operates in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, becoming the largest airport services company in Latin America.”

IATA calls for transition to enhanced GSE

Nick Careen, SVP Operations, Safety and Security at IATA

Nick Careen, SVP Operations, Safety and Security at IATA

Transitioning to enhanced ground support equipment (GSE) could significantly improve safety and cut ground damage caused by GSE, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Calling for a transition to enhanced GSE, which uses anti-collision and inching technology to improve accuracy and safety, an IATA study says that the annual cost of ground damage caused by GSE will double to $10 billion by 2035.

IATA came to the figure by looking at the direct costs of material and labour, temporary leasing, logistical and administrative expenses, and indirect costs of lost revenue, crew and passenger repositioning and compensation for delayed services.

The study found that most damage occurs when the aircraft is stationery and GSE strikes the fuselage, and that the damage rate is 10 times higher for widebody aircraft but regional, turboprop and narrowbody aircraft are 30% more prone to severe ground damage.

According to the IATA ground damage incident data base, belt-loaders, cargo-loaders, passenger stairs and passenger boarding bridges cause 40% of the total incidents.

IATA estimates that transitioning 75% of the global fleet of belt-loaders, cargo-loaders, passenger stairs and passenger boarding bridges to enhanced GSE would reduce the current damage rate by 42%.

Nick Careen, Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security at IATA, said: “Transitioning to Enhanced GSE with anti-collision technology is a no-brainer. We have proven technology that can improve safety. And with the cost of ground damage growing across the industry there is a clear business case supporting early adoption. The challenge now is to put together a roadmap so that all stakeholders are aligned on a transition plan.”

IATA also recommends that GSE fleet owners should have a plan to transition to enhanced GSE, ground handling service providers should be ready to integrate enhanced GSE into their fleets, airlines should work with ground handlers to use enhanced GSE, aircraft and GSE manufacturers should work together to ensure that GSE can operate safely and securely around aircraft and states should consider policies to encourage the use of enhanced GSE.

United invests in Natron Energy to electrify ground operations

IAH ramp marshall plane resizedUnited Airlines has made a strategic equity investment in sodium-ion battery manufacturer Natron Energy to help electrify ground operations.

The sodium-ion batteries have the potential to help United electrify airport ground equipment including pushback tractors and operations at the gate.

United has made investments in companies developing technology to reduce aircraft emissions but Natron is the first with the potential to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint from United’s ground operations.

The airline has more than 12,000 pieces of motorised ground equipment, of which one third is electric.

Natron’s batteries can support operations through charging electric ground equipment, charging anticipated future electric aircraft, allowing airport operations to manage electricity demand and greatly improve resilience during inclement weather.

Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures, said: “Out of the gate, we primarily focused on technology designed to help reduce carbon emissions from our airplanes. Natron’s cutting-edge sodium-ion batteries presented an ideal opportunity to both potentially expand our sustainability investment portfolio to our ground operations, and to help make our airport operations more resilient.”

Colin Wessells, CEO of Natron Energy, added: “Our batteries provide the high power over short distances that ground service equipment needs, and unlike lithium-ion, Natron’s batteries are completely non-flammable and can be safely deployed into ground service operations.”

Natron says sodium-ion batteries have several advantages such as better output and cycle life than their lithium counterparts, and independent tests showed that they were non-flammable.

The minerals used in sodium-ion batteries are abundant worldwide and easily sourced, unlike lithium which is in short supply with demand expected to triple by 2025.

Memphis opens Consolidated De-Icing Facility

Memphis airport FedEx deicing facility opening resized Memphis International Airport’s Consolidated De-Icing Facility was opened on Tuesday 29 November, providing a centralised location to perform deicing operations.

The facility has opened in time for the holiday season, consisting of 3.3 million square feet of de-icing pads, which is large enough to de-ice 12 widebody cargo aircraft simultaneously.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contributed $174 million to the project and Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority paid $135 million for the facility at the home of FedEx Express’ largest air cargo sorting facility.

With the de-icing pads, message boards eliminate the need for audio communication with pilots, taxiway lead-in lights mean follow-me vehicles or marshallers are not needed and infrared cameras help position aircraft in the bays.

The pads offer more environmentally friendly de-icing procedures with aircraft not being de-iced at the gate, allowing them to depart sooner, reducing the need to be de-iced again.

They have a segregated drainage system and large-volume containers to collect de-icing fluid.

The fluid’s release is metered into the sanitary sewer system, where it breaks down and helps sanitise city wastewater.

The opening ceremony was attended by guests including US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims, Congressman Steve Cohen, City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, MSCAA Board Chairman Michael Keeney, and Memphis International Airport President and CEO Scott Brockman.

Buttigieg says, “This holiday season and every season, it’s critical that American families and businesses get the goods they need when they need them. Memphis International Airport is the biggest cargo airport in the country, and this innovative aircraft de-icing facility is one of the many ways we’re modernizing America’s supply chains.”

Richard Smith, President and CEO of FedEx Express adds, “The timing could not be better as FedEx enters the busy holiday season. This facility is a shining example of how we can help ensure our team members are safely operating throughout the winter season as we deliver outstanding service for our customers.”

Azul awards Swissport handling contract at Viracopos

Swissport resizedBrazilian airline Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras has awarded Swissport to provide ground handling services at Viracopos International Airport.

Swissport will provide ramp handling, aircraft cleaning, and cargo handling in the eight year contract at the airport in Campinas, Sao Paulo state. The two companies already work together at eight airports in Brazil.

Rene Pascua, Head of Latin America and Caribbean at Swissport said: “Swissport has been serving Azul at several airports since the start of their operations in 2008, and we are honoured to earn their renewed trust and to serve them at their home base. Swissport is well prepared to support Azul’s growth in Brazil and beyond as it adds new aircraft.”

At Viracopos, Azul serves 66 locations across Latin America and a few in the US and Portugal, primarily operating narrow-body Airbuses, ATRs and Embraers and a few widebody Airbuses, and it has A350s on order.

Unifi handles Breeze Airways flights in West Palm Beach

Breeze Airways resizedUnifi has extended its partnership with Breeze Airways to handle services in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Since Breeze Airways’ inaugural flight in May 2021, Unifi has been providing services at several airports and will support six flights a week at West Palm Beach International Airport.

Gautum Thakkar, CEO of Unifi says: “We’ve been a proud partner of Breeze Airways since they started. As their largest aviation services provider, we are thrilled to support their Seriously Nice™ approach to their customers by delivering strong performance across all measurable categories.”

In addition to West Palm Beach, Unifi also provides Breeze with ground handling services in Akron, Ohio; Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas; Hartford, Connecticut; Huntsville, Alabama; Louisville, Kentucky; Norfolk, Virginia; Providence, Rhode Island; San Antonio, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Polar Air Cargo and WFS sign contract in Los Angeles

PolarAirCargoaircraftdeparting resizedPolar Air Cargo has expanded its partnership with Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) through a long-term contract at Los Angeles International Airport.

WFS started providing warehouse handling services from December 2021 and will also manage scheduled and ad-hoc freighter services for Atlas Air from Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is one of Polar’s biggest stations in the US and the airline has expanded its footprint with a second warehouse totalling more than 230,000 square feet.

Guido DiGiandomenico, Vice President of Sales in North America for WFS says: “In Los Angeles, thanks to the hard work of our local WFS team, we have earned a solid reputation for providing quality cargo handling services in what is a challenging marketplace. We look forward to supporting Polar’s continued growth at this very important west coast gateway.”

Fenix Logistix invests in Irish operations

FLI_GHI001_ElectricPushback resizedFenix Logistix has invested in its Irish firm, Fenix Logistix Ireland to develop business opportunities in Ireland, the UK and throughout Europe.

The Dublin-based ground handling and logistics firm, Fenix Logistix Ireland (FLie) was established during one of the most challenging times in aviation history and will meet the needs of the continually changing commercial aviation market, focusing on professional staff and modern technology.

The Seattle headquartered parent company says the investment will strength Fenix’s brand and along with sharing knowledge and core competencies from its US operations, Fenix in Ireland will enjoy synergies of multi-national operations.

FLie started 2022 with the acquisition of RED Handling UK from Norwegian Airlines, which became a wholly owned subsidiary on 1 January.

RED Handling, based at London’s Gatwick Airport was established in 2016 as a test model to provide Norwegian a dedicated handling company for its largest hub outside Scandinavia.

Unifi takes on aha! Airlines at 10th station

Unifi-Team-aha-Airlines resizedUnifi has started serving aha! Airlines at its 10th station, starting operations at Palm Springs International Airport on 3 January.

The ground handler provides aha! with ground handling operations and passenger services for over 50 flights a week.

The two companies started their partnership on 24 October at Reno-Tahoe International Airport helping ExpressJet Airlines relaunch flight operations for its leisure brand.

Gautam Thakkar, CEO of Unifi says: “By providing full ground handling services to 10 of their 11 locations, we’re happy to be their largest ground-handling partner. We’re committed to providing aha! the high-level service Unifi is known for and strengthening our relationship into the future.”

Unifi provides aha! with ground handling services at Bakersfield, Fresno, Ontario and Palm Springs in California, at Eugene, Medford and Redmond in Oregon, Pasco/Tri-Cities and Spokane in Washington, and Reno in Nevada.

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