august2022 - 34

Ground Handling
That means the provision of quick special
permits from the authorities for the
deployment of about 2,000 workers from
Turkey at the country's airports.
According to German news outlet
Bild, the move would allow German
airport service providers to recruit several
thousand temporary workers from
Turkey for several months already from
the middle of July. However, it will take
a number of weeks for the workers to
be recruited and trained.
In the meantime, in addition to
staff shortages, another problem for
the industry this year is related to
the ongoing military conflict between
Russia and Ukraine, which has led to
serious interruptions of gas supplies to
Germany from Russia - with the possibility
of their complete suspension - as
well as its ever-growing prices.
According to analysts, that puts
an additional pressure on the German
aviation and ground handling sectors,
as the cost of energy grows. That leads
to the growth of overall costs in the
German ground handling sector, particularly
for labor, despite the fact that
salaries in the industry have always
been among the highest in Europe.
In the case of fuel, as of now, its
global prices have already reached
historical highs and there is a possibility
that their growth will continue
in the second half of the current year.
High energy dependence of Germany
from Russia, according to some local
analysts, will restrict the growth of the
German aviation/aircraft engineering
as well as ground handling sector for
the next several years.
Still, despite the current geopolitical
uncertainties and record energy
prices in Germany, the ground handling
sector of the country remains
traditionally within the interests of
global majors, while many of them
consider their more active expansion
in the industry already this year. This
is despite a traditionally high level
of competition and saturation of the
industry and its maturity.
One of such majors is dnata. In May,
the company officially entered the GerThe
labor market has been the
main challenge for the ground
handling industry since 2021.
man market through the acquisition of
Wisskirchen Handling Services - the
exclusive operator of the Cologne Bonn
Cargo Centre, a 12,000 square meter
facility at Cologne/Bonn Airport.
The company considers the German
ground handling sector as one of the
most promising for its growth at least in
the EU. This has been recently confirmed
by Stewart Angus, dnata's regional
CEO for Europe.
" We currently offer quality and safe
cargo services at Cologne/Bonn Airport
(CGN) with a team of 180 highly-trained
employees. Our 12,000 square meter
cargo facility, Cologne Bonn Cargo Centre,
is equipped with the latest technologies
and complies with the highest
industry standards ensuring efficient
and safe handling of a broad range of
cargo, including general cargo, perishables,
pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods,
electronics and fast-moving consumer
goods, " Angus says.
Angus also adds the company sees
great business opportunities in the GerThe
ongoing military conflict between
Russia and Ukraine has led to serious
interruptions of fuel supplies to Germany
from Russia.
34 || Ground Support Worldwide || August 2022
SWISSPORT
august2022

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