Groundforce Begins Operation in Gran Canaria Airport - Gando

Groundforce has just begun its operation in the airport of Gran Canaria - Gando, after the tenders held by AENA in Spanish airports, in which Groundforce obtained licences for seven airports, including the two largest in the country.

In the Airport of Gran Canaria, the group will provide continuity for the services previously provided by Globalia Handling due to the valid licence this company had for this purpose and through which it provided full ground handling services to the various companies which were its clients.

In this Spanish airport Groundforce will continue to offer handling services to aircraft on the runway, to Equipment, Cargo and Mail, as well as aircraft de-icing services. At the same time, and in accordance with one of the conditions of the tender established by AENA, the handling operators, in this case Groundforce, would also be responsible for providing Assistance to passengers with reduced mobility, unaccompanied minors or other special cases travelling with the companies which are its clients.

Similarly, the Passenger Service will be maintained, although this service had already been liberalised and therefore was not included in the tenders, being rather subject to an authorisation from the General Civil Aviation Board.

Besides the Airport of Gran Canaria - Gando, which has two licences awarded to third parties for the provision of handling services, Groundforce also obtained 6 licences for the airports of Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife North, Tenerife South, Seville and Bilbao. The latter two, together with the airport of Gran Canaria, are the only ones where the alteration of the licences has already been made, while in the others the changes will be made throughout the months of January and February 2007, in line with the provisional calendar established by AENA.