Ground handling operations to be enhanced at Amsterdam Schiphol

Amsterdam Schiphol has launched a tender for the selection of three ground handling companies which will be responsible for loading and unloading baggage from aircraft.

The Dutch gateway believes that the move is an important step towards improving the quality of ground handling and the work done by ground handlers around aircraft, such as placing chocks under aircraft wheels and connecting ground power units.

There are currently six parties carrying out these activities at the airport.

Schiphol describes the current open market as characterised by fierce competition and limited control over quality.

This tender follows the decision by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, on the initiative of Schiphol, to work with a select group of handling companies. They will work at the airport under a concession agreement based on contracts they enter into with the airlines.

Photo courtesy of Roger Cremers.

Patricia Vitalis, chief operations officer at Schiphol, notes: “It is important that we work more closely with ground handling companies in order to be a top-quality airport.

“By limiting the number of parties and carefully selecting them, we gain more control over the quality of service, quality of work, safety and cooperation.

“The focus for everyone involved in this process is the employee. A tender can be an uneasy period for them, which is why we are doing everything we can to ensure that this process runs smoothly and transparently.”

RETAINING KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

The airport is quick to point out that the knowledge and experience of  employees is invaluable, noting that retaining existing jobs and employment conditions is an important principle.

The handling companies represented by the WPBL (Werkgeversvereniging Passagiers- en Bagageafhandeling Luchtvaart), the FNV trade union and Schiphol have agreed to undertake additional collective labour agreement arrangements during the transition phase.

Loek Hermans, chair of the Schiphol Ground Handling Committee (SGHC), commented: “By signing this covenant, Aviapartner, dnata, Menzies, Swissport, Viggo (represented in the WPBL), the FNV trade union and Schiphol are making a clear commitment.

“We are agreeing to handle the transition resulting from the tendering process with care and to ensure clear agreements that offer certainty to employees. KLM is subject to agreements within its own organisation.”

The tendering process will be carried out within the framework of European legislation and completed in the third quarter of 2026. This will be followed by a transition period, so that all new collaborations can start in the first quarter of 2027.

The new contracts will have a term of seven years, providing stability and certainty for the longer term.