Across the Middle East, Swissport has operations in 10 airports in Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and it noted traffic that traffic was back at pre-pandemic levels.
Dirk Goovaerts, Managing Director Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa, Global Cargo Chair commented: “In Saudi Arabia intensified religious traffic led to the increased number of flights and opening of the new airlines, to cope with the extra demand.”
Giving the example of Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, which serves Medina, Swissport started offering ground and passenger services in 2021, and it saw scheduled flights increasing from one a day to 22 at peak times.
2023 has started with strong performances for the passenger and ground handling businesses, said Goovaerts, saying: “The vast expansion of the airlines to new destinations, both domestic and international, the trend that started in 2022, continues to drive high demand and profitability in 2023.”
The onboarding and training added additional pressure during the period of increased demand - Dirk Goovaerts, Swissport
Saudi Arabia has a good economic environment with the development of mega-cities and industrial zones, and the Kingdom’s vision of becoming a tourist destination. This is driving demand for airlines in North Africa and Asia, and the launch of Riyadh Air shows strong demand in Saudi Arabia.
Goovaerts added: “The Sultanate of Oman also took a step to attract tourism-related traffic and abolished entry visas for 103 nationalities, in hope that eased entry conditions will lead to an increased number of visitors, most of whom are expected to arrive by air.”
When travel restrictions were lifted in other regions of the world, almost every day there were stories about disruption at airports due to staff shortages combined surging demand. Goovaerts said Swissport has a strict policy when it comes to expected skills and levels of customer excellence from its employees.
He said: “Whilst there was an abundance of the workforce in GCC countries, the onboarding and training have put additional pressure during the increased demand. Within the countries, the teams were moved to support locations that required more attention during peak times, until the required number of highly trained professionals was reached.”
Due to its economic performance, the Middle East remains one of the most important regions for Swissport, which will continue its expansion new airports in countries it already operates in and to new markets.
Goovaerts said: “Our goal is to be an employer of choice for our people, and handler of choice for our customers, and to support the government and authorities through advocacy and legacy, in their mission to accomplish National Vision programmes.”
Positioned between east and west, two-thirds of the world’s population can be reached from the Middle East within a 10 hour flight with demand coming from low-cost and luxury carriers.
Goovaerts said: “The substantial economic advantage of GCC countries, the abolishment of Hajj restrictions in terms of age and number of pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia, and the region’s growing tourism market are the key drivers in the development of the aviation industry in the Middle East.”
Positive outlook
The Middle East region is performing well for Menzies Aviation with passenger numbers and cargo volumes growing in 2022 as airlines restart services that were suspended during the pandemic, according to Charles Wyley, EVP MEAA.
With 2023 underway, Wyley reports that passenger volumes continue to grow and airlines are adding flights, and though imports are down, cargo is still performing well and the situation is improving. This is expected to be the year of further recovery and growth, said Wyley.
The big news last year for Menzies was its acquisition by Agility and combination with National Aviation Services. Wyley said: “The integration of NAS into Menzies has been progressing as planned and we’re looking forward to accelerating our growth in the Middle East and across our global business. It’s an exciting time to be part of Menzies, which can now offer customers a greater range of services in more airports on six continents.”
Staff shortages have been an issue globally, Wyley said: “In the Middle East, we have been able to recruit new employees or welcome colleagues back to operations to ensure a seamless service for our customers.”
Menzies is looking to further expand in the Middle East and there are several new opportunities in the pipeline. Wyley said: “Our outlook is very positive for the Middle East. It’s a growing aviation market with many countries investing in their airport infrastructure in preparation for further expansion.”
