A consortium of Arab airlines expects to save about $5 million a year in handling costs at London airports because of a deal between the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (ACCO) and Air France Servisair (AFSL).
The deal allows member airlines serving Heathrow and Gatwick to sign up with the ground-handling company under a framework agreement negotiated recently. The arrangement could be the first step towards a wider co-operation by Arab operators.
AACO secretary-general Abdul Wahab Teffaha, who declined to identify the handling company until after the agreement takes effect on 1 April, says the savings amount to a reduction of almost 40% for the participating airlines. AFSL declined to comment.
As many as nine airlines operating into Heathrow, plus a Gatwick user (where AFSL partner Servisair will be the handler), are expected to eventually sign up. The arrangement gives carriers options to use a combination of passengers/baggage, ramp, and cargo/ mail services. Three of the airlines - Royal Air Maroc, Tunis Air and Syrian Arab Airlines - are already AFSL customers while Yemenia is handled by Servisair at Gatwick. Other ACCO members which fly into London include Lebanon's MEA, Royal Jordanian, Emirates Airlines, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways (which has recently signed a ground-handling deal with British Midland), Egyptair and Air Algerie.
The London deal is seen as a pilot project which could be extended to other European hubs. Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Athens and Rome Fiumicino are high on the list of candidates.
Co-operation in areas like fuel purchase and communications provision are likely to follow.
Source: Flight International
