The Lufthansa Group has announced that it will handle some of its flights at Munich Airport itself in the course of this year. A key component of this plan is the planned takeover of Swissport Losch GmbH & Co. KG by Lufthansa. This transaction is intended to pave the way for further increasing the operational stability and reliability of aviation services at Munich Airport. However, the takeover is still subject to approval by the relevant authorities and a commercial agreement.
With this strategic decision, Lufthansa is pursuing the goal of taking control of the handling processes for its own aircraft at Munich Airport. Swissport Losch GmbH, previously an established partner in the area of aircraft handling, will continue to operate at the Munich location after the planned takeover. Lufthansa's focus is on ensuring improved service quality and long-term prospects for employees.
Ensuring jobs and stability
Lufthansa emphasizes that the jobs of the employees of Swissport Losch GmbH & Co. KG will be retained in the course of the takeover. The Lufthansa Group has issued a declaration of intent in this regard, in which it expresses its desire to offer the affected employees a long-term perspective. This declaration also emphasizes that the employees at Swissport Losch have made a decisive contribution to the successful processes at Munich Airport through their professionalism and quality of service.
Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines and Hub Manager in Munich, explained that securing jobs at the Munich location is one of the company's key concerns. "The further development of the travel experience for our customers is also a high priority for us. The collaboration with Swissport Losch has been a success story for many years," said Ritter. The company has contributed to the high quality at Munich Airport through its committed employees and long-standing partnership.
The planned takeover not only underlines Lufthansa's efforts to further optimize its operations in Munich, but also the Lufthansa Group's long-term commitment to the airport. Lufthansa is pursuing a strategy that aims to improve not only flight operations themselves, but also the associated infrastructural elements. The possible integration of Swissport Losch into the Lufthansa Group is expected to bring about a sustainable improvement in operational efficiency and the reliability of handling processes.
Cooperation partnership and outlook for the future
Another important aspect of the takeover is the ongoing collaboration with the previous shareholders of Swissport Losch GmbH & Co. KG, namely Swissport Cargo Services Deutschland GmbH and Losch Airport Service München GmbH. These partners will continue to provide support during the transition to self-handling. The Lufthansa Group is relying on close and coordinated collaboration to ensure the process runs smoothly and successfully.
Marc Losch, CEO of Losch Airport Service, expressed his confidence in the planned takeover and emphasized the importance of the partnership for the future development of the company and its employees. "The future of Swissport Losch and its employees at Munich Airport is very important to us. We are convinced that this step offers employees a future-proof perspective," said Losch.
Those responsible at Swissport International, the global parent company of Swissport Losch GmbH, also welcomed the planned transaction and the associated prospects for the Munich location. Warwick Brady, President and CEO of Swissport International, emphasized the importance of Swissport's global expertise, which is also of great value at Munich Airport. "Our years of experience, especially at major air traffic hubs, will make a decisive contribution to the operational stability at Munich Airport," said Brady.
Legal hurdles and the importance of permits
Despite the largely positive response to the planned takeover, it is not yet fully completed. Lufthansa must await both the commercial agreement with the previous shareholders of Swissport Losch and the approval of the relevant merger control authorities. This review could take some time, as the authorities must ensure that the takeover does not raise any competition concerns and that the market conditions at Munich Airport are not negatively affected.
However, if the takeover is successfully completed, this could represent a groundbreaking change in the handling of flights at Munich Airport. The planned self-handling by Lufthansa would set a new standard for the efficiency and reliability of the handling processes. The Lufthansa Group hopes that this will further increase customer satisfaction and improve operational processes at this important air traffic hub.
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