Swissport starts in-flight refueling at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
The Swiss aviation service company Swissport is starting to offer aircraft refueling services At Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) in Finland from October 1.
The company will take over Shell Aviation’s refueling business and the customer portfolio that belongs to it Finnair, Japan Airlines, Ryanair, Qatar Airways, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch AirlinesTurkish Airlines, Juneyao Air and Danish charter airline Sunclass Airlines.
Swissport’s new Finnish refueling unit is initially expected to perform almost 85 operations daily.
The company said in a statement: “Prior to the pandemic, Swissport fueled more than 2.3 million flights annually, with an average of one flight fueled every 14 seconds across the company’s extensive global network.
“Through its Swissport-branded fueling operations in North America and Europe and its partnership with Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) in Germany, Swissport’s refueling business covers 42 airports in seven countries.
“In major locations such as Seattle, Detroit, Chicago, Phoenix, Miami and Minneapolis, more than 500 aircraft are refueled per day.”
The purpose of the transfer is to strengthen Swissport’s fuel business in Northern Europe, as the company has operated in HEL since 2011.
It has provided Finnair’s home base with passenger services, ramp handling and aircraft de-icing, and operated two cargo centers in Helsinki.
Markus Vahtera, CEO of Swissport Finland, said: “We are very pleased to be able to supplement our Finnish aviation service offering with refueling at Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
“Adding banking to our wide range of services fits well with our expertise in complex node operations.
“It fulfills our ambition to be the signature brand that airlines turn to for the ground handling they need.”
Located in Opfikon, Swissport offers airport ground, lounge visiting and cargo handling services.
Earlier this month, the company expanded its partnership In Japan with Hong Kong Airlines until 2025.