Finnair Cargo has appointed Swissport as the new operator of its COOL Nordic Cargo Hub facility at Helsinki Airport, one of the most modern air cargo hubs in Europe. From June 2019, Swissport will handle over 600 tons of perishables, pharmaceuticals and general cargo daily.

The COOL Nordic Cargo Hub opened in 2018. It focusses on temperature-sensitive and high-value cargo shipments between Europe and Asia. Swissport will operate the 31,000 square meter facility as of June 2019. In addition to its operations at the COOL Nordic Cargo hub for Finnair Cargo, Swissport will continue to provide cargo services for further customers at its own cargo terminals at Helsinki airport.

The Helsinki facility is equipped with innovative technology to accelerate handling processes and increase transparency for customers. There are dedicated temperature-controlled areas, which are reserved for perishables and pharmaceuticals. The packing area for seafood and other perishables is kept between 6° and 8° Celsius and the storage area at 2° Celsius. In the pharmaceutical area the average temperature is 20° Celsius. In addition, sealed-off rooms provide storage in a temperature range between 2° and 8° Celsius and for goods that need to be frozen at lower temperatures.

“With the new contract, we strengthen our successful and long-standing cooperation with Finnair”, says Tomi Viitanen, CEO of Swissport Finland. “As the operator of Finnair’s main cargo hub we are excited to contribute to the growth and digital transformation of air cargo handling at Helsinki airport.”

“Swissport already is our trusted partner at numerous airports around the world and offers the most competitive package to further develop our cargo operations”, says Janne Tarvainen, Managing Director of Finnair Cargo. “With their drive for innovation and operational excellence they are an ideal partner for us to develop and expand our concept of data-driven and proactive operations steering across our network.”

Last year, Swissport has chosen Helsinki as one of four “Lab Stations” to test innovative solutions. Customers in Finland can therefore benefit from new products and processes even before a global rollout. The company recently launched a Delay Prevention Tool, monitoring flights based on real-time data. This allows for a more efficient planning and allocation of ground handling resources.

Swissport International AG, on behalf of more than 850 client-companies, provides best-in-class airport ground services for some 282 million passengers annually and handles approximately 4.8 million tons of air cargo at 122 warehouses world-wide. Several of its warehouses have been certified for Pharmaceutical Logistics by IATA’s CEIV. With a workforce of some 66,000 the world’s leading provider of airport ground services and air cargo handling is active at 303 airports in 50 countries on six continents. In 2018 the Group generated a consolidated operating revenue of EUR 2.99 billion