Turkish ground handler, Çelebi has acquired the Frankfurt arm of Belgium ground handler Aviapartner for cargo handling only. The €4.6 million deal was completed on 18 February according to a management statement as  reported by Turkish media.

Çelebi currently operates a 15,000 sqm cargo handling facility already in operation since 2010 in Frankfurt’s Cargo City South and with the additional 10,000 sqm from Avia gives them a substantial presence in FRA.The move by Çelebi is part of its global expansion strategy and follows the failure of an earlier attempt by Worldwide Flight Services to aquire Aviapartner in its entirety. It is unclear what Aviapartner intends to do with the remainder of its business.