More than 650 industry stakeholders came together at a glittering awards ceremony, held during the 20th Annual GHI Conference, to crown frontline staff who embodied innovation, strong safety standards, teamwork and outstanding customer service.
The five inaugural Pride of Ground Handling Awards winners were:
- Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals (HACTL), Hong Kong – Best Station Award. (Accepted by Wilson Kwong)
- Swissport-Finnair, Helsinki – Best Handler-Airline Innovation Award. (Accepted by Jean-Luc Payot)
- Steve Mitchell, Stobart Aviation Services, London Stansted Airport – Ramp Safety Award. (Accepted by Karen Stokes)
- Nick Ward, Swissport, Brisbane Airport – Rising Star Award. (Accepted by David Krakowski)
- Krish Chand, Swissport Canada Handling, Canada – Unsung Hero Award. (Accepted by Joerg Sutter)
The victors were selected by a panel of 14 independent judges, featuring senior leaders at easyJet, British Airways, the CAA, ASA, WFS, dnata and Emirates.
Max Gosney, GHI Conference Chairman, said: “Tonight, with our winners, we celebrate the industry trailblazers who embody ingenuity, discretionary effort and a dynamic pursuit of adding value to airline customers. Through their achievements, and those of all of our entrants from stations across the world, we can start to dispel the myth that ground handling is simply a race to the bottom on price."
