GROUND HANDLERS

Munich, Germany

AeroGround Munich, the exclusive ground handling provider at Munich Airport, offers a broad range of services including aircraft/baggage handling, passenger services, cargo, and staff transportation. The company serves more than 100 airline customers at the airport and has approximately 2,500 employees.

Zurich, Switzerland

Founded on 27 October 2003, Airline Assistance Switzerland (AAS) began operating as an independent ground handling provider at Zurich Airport. Through the Goldair AAS joint venture it formed with Greece's Goldair Handling in 2019, it focuses on EU-compliant assistance services for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM); starting in January 2020, it also extended these services to Vienna Airport.

Mumbai, India

AISATS, a joint venture between Air India and SATS Ltd, provides passenger, ramp, and cargo ground handling services (including the COOLPORT cold chain cargo terminal in Bengaluru) at 9 locations in India, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Cochin, and Thiruvananthapuram, with more than 12,000 employees. After India revoked Çelebi's security clearance in May 2025, part of the ground handling operations at Delhi Airport (DIAL) was transferred to AISATS.

Miami, United States

Founded in 1987, Alliance Ground International (AGI) is a cargo/ground handling company with more than 12,000 employees providing cargo ground handling, ramp and terminal operations at more than 60 airports in North America. The company was previously held in the portfolios of Greenbriar Equity Group and Audax Private Equity; in January 2026 it was announced that a definitive acquisition agreement had been reached with Dallas-based Lone Star Funds (as of 2026, the deal is pending completion).

Zaventem, Belgium

Founded in 1949, Aviapartner provides ramp and cargo ground handling services at a total of 75 airports in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Angola and South Africa. The company handles approximately 800,000 aircraft movements and 300,000 tons of cargo annually, and has approximately 18,000 employees serving more than 500 passenger and cargo airlines.

Bangkok, Thailand

Based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok Flight Services (BFS) provides cargo ground handling, specialized cargo solutions, and pharmaceutical/cold chain transport in Thailand as part of the global SATS/WFS network. Vietnam Airlines has chosen BFS for its cargo operations in Bangkok.

Istanbul, Turkey

Çelebi Aviation is a regional operator based in Istanbul providing ramp and cargo ground handling services at various airports across Turkey. In May 2025, India's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked Çelebi Airport Services India's security clearance on 'national security' grounds; the decision brought operations at nine Indian airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, to a halt and terminated its contract at Delhi Airport (DIAL). In July 2025, the Delhi High Court dismissed the lawsuit filed to overturn the decision, which affected 3,791 jobs; Çelebi announced it would appeal to a higher court, and its operations in India were transferred to local players such as AISATS and Bird Group.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Founded in Dubai in 1959, dnata is Emirates Group's ground handling, cargo, catering and travel services subsidiary; according to 2018 data it operates at 129 airports in 84 countries and has more than 40,000 employees. The company handles more than 3 million tons of cargo annually and produces 120,000 in-flight meals per day, and in 2026 it extended its cargo ground handling license at Amsterdam Schiphol for a further seven years. In January 2026, dnata Travel Group decided to scale back its UK consumer travel operations by selling the Travel Republic brand to Spain's Destinia Travel Group.

Irving, United States

Founded in 2005, G2 Secure Staff is an aviation services company providing labor-intensive ground handling services such as wheelchair/passenger assistance, cabin cleaning, and security staffing at 54 major U.S. airports. The company has more than 6,000 aviation services personnel.

Istanbul, Turkey

Founded in 1933 and restructured under its current Havaş brand in 1987, the company has been fully owned by TAV Airports Holding since 2012. In addition to numerous airports across Turkey, it expanded its international presence by adding Riga Airport in 2015 and Zagreb Airport in 2022 to its portfolio. Havaş provides ramp services, bus services, and cargo and warehousing services.

London, United Kingdom

Menzies Aviation is a global ground handling operator providing ramp, cargo and fueling services at 347 airport locations in more than 65 countries. In a deal completed in June 2024, the company acquired a 50.1% stake in Portugal's Groundforce (with the remaining 49.9% held by TAP Air Portugal), reaching a 65% market share at five Portuguese airports and adding more than 4,000 employees. Menzies also owns fuel/ramp services provider ASIG and holds an investor position in Hong Kong-based Jardine Aviation Services Group.

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Founded in 2003, National Aviation Services (NAS) is a Kuwait-based ground handling operator focused on emerging markets, providing ramp services, passenger services, and airport lounge management at 55 airports across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Operating as a subsidiary of logistics group Agility, the company has between 5,000 and 10,000 employees.

Sugar Land, United States

PrimeFlight Aviation Services, based in the United States, offers a broad ground handling portfolio for airlines, including ramp services, cabin cleaning, deicing, and aircraft-to-aircraft fueling, with between 5,000 and 10,000 employees. In the 2020s, the company grew rapidly by acquiring numerous ground handling and cargo operators such as Airbase GSE, Airworld, Accufleet International and GAT. PrimeFlight is held in the portfolio of private equity firm Capitol Meridian Partners.

Doha, Qatar

Founded in 2000, Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) is a ground handling company with more than 8,000 employees providing ramp, passenger, cargo terminal, and VIP lounge services at Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways' main hub. QAS also carries out centralized load control services for the Qatar Airways network and holds ISAGO, ISO 9001, and RA3 certifications.

Singapore

Founded on 15 December 1972, SATS Ltd is headquartered in Singapore and provides ground handling, air cargo, in-flight catering, and airport security services at more than 215 stations in 27 countries, with approximately 50,000 employees as of 2024. In a deal announced in September 2022 and completed in 2023, it acquired Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), one of the world's largest air cargo operators, for $1.64 billion, becoming the world's largest air cargo handling group. Temasek Holdings is the company's largest shareholder, holding a 40% stake.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Formed in 2008 through the merger of three ground handling providers, Saudi Ground Services Company (SGS) provides ramp, passenger, baggage and cargo services at all 28 airports in Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah-based company is listed on the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange (ticker: 4031) and had 11,458 employees as of the end of fiscal year 2025.

Orlando, United States

Signature Aviation, the world's largest fixed base operator (FBO) network for business jets, provides fueling, hangar, ground handling and VIP hospitality services at more than 200 facilities in 27 countries across five continents, with approximately 6,000 employees. Taken private in June 2021, the company is owned by a consortium consisting of Blackstone (35%), Global Infrastructure Partners (35%), and Bill Gates's Cascade Investment (30%).

Zurich, Switzerland

Swissport, one of the world's leading independent ground handling and cargo operators, operates at 279 airports in 45 countries as of the end of 2025 and has approximately 62,000 employees. In 2024, the company handled 247 million passengers and approximately 5 million tons of air cargo, and in April 2025 it significantly expanded its presence in the Middle East by expanding into 13 airports in Saudi Arabia. Taken over from HNA Group in 2020, Swissport is owned by an investor group led by its then-senior secured creditors.

Steenokkerzeel, Belgium

Founded in 1996 with leasing and maintenance operations, TCR is a company based near Brussels Airport that provides ground support equipment (GSE) leasing and maintenance services to airlines, airports, and ground handling companies. It manages around 40,000 motorized and non-motorized GSE units at approximately 200 airports in more than 14 countries worldwide, with approximately 1,300 employees. The company is held in the portfolio of infrastructure investment fund 3i Infrastructure.

Istanbul, Turkey

Founded in 2010 as a partnership between Turkish Airlines and Havaş, TGS (Turkish Ground Services) provides ramp, passenger and cargo ground handling services at 10 Turkish airports, including Istanbul Airport, Ankara Esenboğa, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Antalya and Sabiha Gökçen. The company has more than 10,000 employees and uses Amadeus Altéa Departure Control for Ground Handlers technology to enhance its operational agility.

Houston, United States

Founded in 1959 as Universal Weather and Aviation, Universal Aviation is a network offering FBO, ground handling, VIP ground coordination, and flight planning support for business jets and general aviation operators at more than 100 locations in over 30 countries. Operating under the leadership of the Evans family, the company sold its Trip Support Services division to World Fuel Services in 2025, while continuing to grow its core Universal Aviation network.

Frankfurt, Germany

WISAG Aviation Service, the aviation division of the German WISAG group, is headquartered in Frankfurt and is one of Germany's largest independent full-service airport handling providers; in the pre-pandemic period it handled approximately 15 million passengers, 111,000 flight departures, and 89,000 tons of cargo per year. In 2008, the company took over Berlin Airport's ground handling operations, previously run by Lufthansa and the airport operator, and has recently expanded to Düsseldorf Airport as well. Owned by the Wisser family, WISAG provides ramp, passenger, cargo, and staffing services.

Paris, France

Founded in 1984 as American Airlines' AMR Services division, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) is one of the world's largest air cargo ground handling operators. In a deal announced in September 2022 and completed in April 2023, it was acquired by Singapore-based SATS Ltd for $1.64 billion, a purchase that made SATS the world's largest air cargo handler. In 2024, WFS and SATS merged under a joint visual identity; regional affiliates such as Bangkok Flight Services operate as part of this network.