Employees affected by the upcoming change in ground handling providers at Vienna Airport are expected to retain their jobs under an agreement between Airline Assistance Switzerland (AAS) and incoming license holder Joint Sky Services (JSS).

JSS will take over Vienna Airport’s second ground handling license Oct. 25, replacing AAS, whose current license expires Oct. 24.

Under the new arrangement, AAS will remain at Vienna Airport as the exclusive passenger-handling contractor for JSS. Employees working in passenger services will remain with AAS under their existing employment agreements.

Ramp employees will transfer directly to JSS with their existing rights and seniority, according to the company.

JSS said it expects to take over all of AAS’s current airline customers and that the arrangement will help provide a smooth transition of ramp handling operations.

The development provides greater clarity for AAS employees following weeks of uncertainty surrounding the license change. In August, AAS registered all 361 employees with Austria’s AMS early-warning system as a precaution amid questions about how many positions would transfer to the new provider.

At the time, Joint Sky Services said it planned to retain affected AAS employees if the airline customers they served also moved to JSS.

AAS currently handles approximately two dozen airlines at Vienna Airport.

The JSS license will run from Oct. 25, 2026, through Oct. 22, 2033, and covers baggage handling, cargo and mail handling and ramp services.

Vienna Airport lists AAS’s current ground handling license as valid through Oct. 24 and the Joint Sky Services license as effective Oct. 25.