https://www.brusselstimes.com/all-ne...lights-resume/
The announcement of the bankruptcy of ground handling company Swissport Belgium has left Brussels Airport and Brussels Airlines with a tight deadline to find a solution to ensure flights will be able to resume as planned on 15 June.
Speaking Monday morning, Brussels Airlines announced that it will put in place a contingency plan to ensure flights resume on 15 June after Swissport Belgium – responsible for 60% of handling at Zaventem airport – announced that it had filed for bankruptcy for its ground handling and cleaning services.
For its part, Brussels Airport said on Monday that a “quick solution for Swissport was absolutely necessary”. The Zaventem Airport said it is in contact with the various stakeholders “to find very short-term solutions and guarantee the continuity of operations (carried out by the handler)”.
A Difficult Time
The announcement from Swissport Belgium follows a difficult period for the company after Brussels Airlines – its main customer – stopped flying on 21 March. Around 1,469 employees work at Swissport in Belgium, with no clarity on how the news will impact their jobs.
“We have assessed the situation from an operational and financial point of view and considered all scenarios in order to examine whether ensuring a sustainable future for ground handling and cleaning services was possible,” said Thierry Miremont, CEO of Swissport in Belgium.