In a press release published on Wednesday, the aircraft ground handling services company Swissport announced a series of measures to be implemented with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of its activity and improving the conditions of its staff.

As reported in the text, the company will work in the near future to accelerate the decarbonisation process of its operations, as well as to optimise waste management and circularity. In addition, it will seek to promote «diversity and inclusion» among its workforce.

More electric vehicles

Swissport is currently one of the largest companies of its kind globally. The fossil-fuelled operation of its vehicles, which are key to the provision of various ground services at airports, is one of the main contributors to its carbon footprint.

According to Nadia Kaddouri, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, the company’s goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 42% by 2032. «To achieve this, we will increase the share of electrically powered vehicles in our fleet to at least 55% over the same period», she said.

Moreover, Kaddouri remarked that «more and more airline customers and airport partners are demanding fleets on the ground that are emission-free» and assured that «at an increasing number of airports, Swissport will offer it to them».

Waste management and circularity

The company said it will completely eliminate disposable plastic tableware in all airport lounges operated by its subsidiary, ASPIRE Lounges, by 2025. The material will be replaced by reusable or recyclable products.

In addition, Swissport will introduce mandatory waste prevention as part of its waste management policy in all of its air cargo centres by 2027.

Relations with staff

According to the statement, the company has an initial target of achieving a proportion of at least 25% of women in leadership positions below the C-level. Within five years, it aims to increase the proportion of women in management positions to 40% of the total.

According to Swissport, one third of its employees in all its business units worldwide are women. The same proportion was achieved in the Global Management Team, the company’s highest executive level.

Finally, they assured that they will continue to work to promote social programmes that bring them closer to the community. The company highlighted the «active support» for future pilots through a training centre in Tanzania, as well as community cleanup days and events to promote sustainable practices in Europe and the United States.

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