Ground Handling
Finnair Ground Handling (FGH) is responsible for Finnair's passenger services as well as for the loading of baggage, cargo and mail in connection with the arrival and departure of aircraft at all of Finland's airports, either independently or with the assistance of partners.
FGH, as the market leader in its field in Finland, provides ground handling services to Finnair and nearly 20 other airlines. Every year the unit's 900 employees and 200 additional staff employed by ten partners handle over 100,000 flights as well as eight million passengers and their baggage.
Demand for services fluctuates strongly according to passenger volumes in different seasons of the year, at certain times of the week and at particular times during the day. The multitasking abilities of service production staff at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport have been broadened. This enables staff to work more efficiently at different workpoints throughout the airport.
FGH expanded its operations at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport when its subsidiary FinnHandling AB began providing ground handling services in June. A completely new service production model guarantees services that are flexible and rapidly adaptable to changes, in partnership with a staff hire company specializing in air transport.
The outsourcing of ground handling at domestic airports continued. Cooperation with entrepreneurs expanded at five airports, bringing the number to twelve. FGH provided services itself at five airports.
Turnover has increased and profitability has improved. The number of employees decreased during the year by around 15 per cent.
The operations of the Finnair Ground Handling business unit will be transferred into a wholly owned subsidiary of Finnair Plc as of May 1, 2004. The Finnair Plc subsidiary FinnHandling AB, which has operated under the FGH business unit at Stockholm Arlanda since June 2003, will become at the same time a subsidiary of the new company. |