Swissport Deutschland GmbH and Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH have closed the transaction for their cargo joint venture at Düsseldorf Airport.

Swissport Deutschland GmbH now has a 74.9 per cent stake in the cargo handling unit of Düsseldorf Airport, Flughafen Düsseldorf Cargo GmbH.

The new joint venture, named Swissport DUS Cargo Services GmbH, started operations on August 17.

Pablo von Siebenthal, global head of mergers and acquisitions at Swissport, said: “To complement its strong organic growth, Swissport is pursuing an ambitious M&A agenda that includes being an active consolidator in the aviation services industry as well as entering into partnerships and joint ventures globally.

“In our conversations with airports and airlines around the world we see great interest from them in either selling or partnering with us for their own ground or cargo handling operations. They realise that as the leading aviation services company in the world, Swissport is their best partner.”

Swissport states that the Düsseldorf joint venture aligns with its global M&A plan, aimed at reinforcing its global presence across several business lines and its role as the industry leader.

In 2018, the company took over Aerocare with operations at 35 airports in Australia and New Zealand, acquired Alitalia’s ground handling unit at Rome-Fiumicino Airport in Italy in 2022.

Bruno Stefani, Swissport’s chief executive for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, said: “The start of our joint operations in Düsseldorf is a moment of joy for Swissport Germany. It shows our commitment to the German market and solidifies our position in Düsseldorf and across Germany and sets the stage of further growth.

“Across Germany, Swissport supports airlines from all over the world with a wide range of services including ground services, cargo handling, and aviation fueling.”