The new handling group for IAG, South Europe Ground Services (South), will operate in 38 Spanish airports, including Barcelona, Palma, Alicante, Bilbao, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Ibiza, Valladolid, Leon, Zaragoza, Huesca and Madrid. It expects to serve more than 400,000 weighted aircraft and to grow at a rate of up to 4% per year.
South evolved after an agreement was reached between Iberia and the trade unions last February and is leveraged on the knowledge and experience accumulated in previous years of operation by Iberia’s Airport Management. Its three phased strategic plan, which will be implemented between now and 2030 is comprised of three phases. Phase 1 is business consolidation, phase 2 is optimisation when South will consolidate its workforce and phase 3 is growth.
“Our leadership position, together with a professional team of more than 8,000 employees and the experience we have accumulated, makes us believe that we are going to write a page of success in the global handling business in the coming years,” said Miguel Angel Gimeno, CEO of South.
Operating with a workforce of 8,700 employees (8,200 from Iberia Airport Services) and in addition to providing services to more than 100 companies across the 38 airports, South will also provide services to third parties at 30 of these air transport hubs and autohandling services at eight of them. Provided services will include ramp and passenger handling services to the Spanish companies of the IAG Group (Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling and Level) at all national airports, as well as passenger handling services to British Airways, Air Nostrum and Aer Lingus; as well as services to third party services at airports where Iberia Airport Services obtained a licence in the last Aena tender.
