Swissport and Cathay Pacific Cargo have signed a 5-year contract for the handling of air cargo at Frankfurt Airport.

The first shipment of the Hong Kong based carrier was processed at the new air cargo warehouse which Swissport opened on Monday.

The new 5-year collaboration represents a significant increase of handling volumes for Swissport’s activities at Frankfurt Airport, which Cathay Pacific Cargo has made Frankfurt its European air cargo hub.

The contract represents 26,000 tons of cargo per year, flown with freighter aircraft (four weekly flights with Boeing 747-400F or B747-8F) and four weekly passenger flights (Boeing 777 or Airbus 350) between Frankfurt, the US and Hong Kong.

“We are very pleased with this vote of confidence by Cathay Pacific Cargo, one of the world’s leading air cargo carriers,” said Henning Dieter, Head of Swissport Cargo Services Germany.

“Our investments in high-tech equipment and digitalization combined with the increased warehousing space provide a strong foundation for a mutually beneficial collaboration.”

The new contract was awarded after a thorough selection process and is based on a successful international cooperation. Cathay Pacific Cargo relies on Swissport’s air cargo handling and ground services at various airports in a dozen countries around the globe. 

Earlier this week, Swissport started operations at its brand new 17,000 sqm facility at Frankfurt Airport, increasing air cargo capacity by about 50%.

The integrated Swissport Pharma Center guarantees end-to-end temperature-controlled processing and warehousing for pharmaceutical shipments, an important European export product not only in times of COVID-19.