By Brad Moore, CEO Asia-Pacific, Swissport

Asia-Pacific brings together mature global hubs and fast-growing aviation markets operating at very different levels of infrastructure and scale. That combination is reshaping what “good” looks like in ground handling. Airlines are no longer just asking for scale. They expect consistency across very different operating environments, with less tolerance for disruption and higher expectations for predictability. That is the operating reality in APAC.

As we closed 2025, Swissport APAC was named Region of the Year. That reflects the work of around 10,000 colleagues across Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea who handled 25 million passengers, 632,000 flights, and 450,000 tons of cargo.

The real story is not volume. It is consistency across variability — high-frequency hub operations, extreme weather, rapid infrastructure expansion, and some of the fastest cargo growth globally — delivered with discipline.

There are five priorities that define our performance: Safety, Operational Excellence, Customer-Centricity, Sustainability, and Innovation.

Safety: Discipline under pressure

Safety in APAC is defined by volatility.

A recent example at Incheon captures this reality. During a peak cargo window for a major customer, our team identified a handling deviation that would not have met our safety standard under normal conditions. The operation was paused immediately, corrected on the ground, and restarted within the same window. There was no escalation beyond the operation itself. That is the point. Safety decisions must happen in real time, not after review.

That discipline is consistent across the region. It is also reflected in recognition from SF Airlines as “Most Outstanding Partner”, including a full year of operations without safety incidents in a highly complex environment.

We reinforce this through investment and training at scale. At Incheon, we have established a dedicated Dangerous Goods warehouse supporting high-tech manufacturing flows where precision is non-negotiable.

The global aviation industry is increasingly moving towards specialist ground handling models so airlines can focus on their core flying operations.

In Australia, Swissport has one of the best safety records of any specialist aviation ground handling company, owing to rigorous global benchmarks.

Recordable injuries have dropped 56 per cent over the past five years since airlines transferred ground handling operations to Swissport; and lost time injuries are down 43 per cent compared to previous in-house operations of the airlines.

This means that specialist Swissport ground handling staff operate in a significantly safer workplace than historic airline insourced operations.

 Across APAC, more than 10,000 colleagues are trained annually through Swissport Academy. Standards only work when they are applied consistently, regardless of location or pressure.

Operational Excellence: Predictability at scale

Airlines do not experience strategy. They experience performance. In South Korea, we delivered 100% on-time performance in 2025. That outcome reflects disciplined execution, standardization, and operational control under sustained peak pressure.

In China, our Digital & Intelligent International Cargo Terminal at Shanghai Pudong represents a shift in how cargo operations are structured. With 150,000 square meters of capacity and highly automated systems processing up to 3,500 parcels per hour, predictability is engineered into the operation. At this scale, that is what matters most.

In Australia and New Zealand, infrastructure expansion in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney follows the same principle: build capacity that stabilizes operations, not just increases volume.

Customer-Centricity: Trust is built in operations

Customer-centricity is often stated. In APAC, it is proven in execution. We use Net Promoter Score feedback across the region to capture airline input continuously and translate it into operational adjustments, not retrospective reporting.

But feedback is not the point. Performance under disruption is. During severe flooding in North Queensland, for example, our Cairns operation adjusted cargo handling in real time to maintain continuity of essential freight flows. Decisions were made on the ground without delay because operations continue regardless of conditions.

That is what our customers value: reliability when conditions are not normal.

Sustainability: Execution, not aspiration

Sustainability is now embedded in how operations are designed and delivered. 23.7% of our ground support equipment in APAC is already electric, with 58% of new equipment orders in 2025 fully electric. That reflects a structural shift in fleet renewal across the region.

In Melbourne, we deployed the world’s most powerful electric A380 pushback tractor. Electrification is no longer limited to light-duty equipment. It now extends into heavy-duty turnaround operations at major hubs.

This transition is not limited to equipment. In Sydney Cabin Care, sourcing, equipment, and operational design are aligned from the outset to reduce environmental impact while maintaining turnaround performance.

Innovation: Applied, not experimental

Innovation only matters when it improves decisions in the operation. Across APAC, systems such as CargoSpot Neo, AI-enabled safety monitoring, and telematics-based fleet tools are embedded into daily execution. The objective is better decisions under operational pressure.

At Shanghai Pudong, AI-driven logistics, automation, and autonomous vehicles deliver 99.5% scheduling accuracy. At that level, predictability is not an aspiration — it is the operating standard.

In Melbourne, electrified equipment combined with fleet intelligence shows what is possible when sustainability and performance are engineered together rather than treated separately.

The APAC reality

APAC aviation is becoming more demanding. Capacity is tightening in some hubs, cargo flows are more volatile, and expectations for consistency are rising faster than infrastructure can adapt in parts of the region.

We operate in that reality every day. Our 2025 results reflect it: stable safety performance, reliable execution across major hubs, accelerating electrification, and infrastructure investment aligned to demand.

What matters in this environment is simple: consistent execution under pressure. That is what airlines rely on. And it is where Swissport expertise is demonstrated every day in APAC.