Swissport UK is to provide a new Central Load Planning service to Virgin Atlantic worldwide, under a new contract between the two businesses. The service will be operated by Swissport from mid-May for all of Virgin Atlantic's fleet on all services globally.Although Swissport has provided a full ground handling service for Virgin Atlantic at Gatwick since 2004, as well as Manchester Airports, the contract covers Virgin Atlantic flights at other UK airports and for aircraft down route in other … [Read more...] about Swissport wins global Virgin contract

Cargo operations at Chennai’s air cargo terminal were hit from early-May by a work slowdown by staff of the Airport Authority of India. However, there was no disturbance in the handling of passenger and cargo flights, according to Dinesh Kumar, Airport Director, Chennai.The Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a press release said the Government has taken care for the passenger movement. But the export/import of cargo was given a lower priority the Chamber said with no staff … [Read more...] about Chennai cargo ops hit by labour action

A new study in the March 2008 issue of Canadian Public Administration, the journal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, reveals that the commercialisation of air traffic control organisations has greatly improved performance with respect to cost, safety, and technical modernisation.The study examined the performance of ten international commercial air navigation service providers (ANSPs) from 1997 to 2004 and compared them to US Federal Aviation Administration benchmarks. Over … [Read more...] about ATC study shows privatisation benefits

Western Australia's Perth international airport was brought to a standstill in mid-May for 12 hours after a suspicious package was found on the tarmac. Incoming flights were diverted and eight international flights were cancelled.A package, which was among unaccompanied freight on a Malaysia Airlines flight, was found on the tarmac underneath an aircraft by baggage handlers who identified the package as suspicious.The package, eventually deemed safe, was one of four boxes consigned to a Perth … [Read more...] about Perth airport closed for 12 hours

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) has announced new investments in additional facility enhancement projects to further upgrade its facilities, as it aims to maintain Hong Kong's pre-eminent cargo hub position.HACTL is now constructing three canopies, with a total investment of HK$21 million, to enhance protection of cargoes in adverse weather conditions. These three linked canopies, covering 2,192 square metres in total, will be built at the northeastern corner of SuperTerminal 1. … [Read more...] about HACTL invest in Hong Kong upgrades