newstodate.aero
Jan 22, 2013 (newstodate): Bulgaria's Sofia Airport handles about 3.5 mio passengers annually - but four handling companies are currently active at the airport, with a fifth operator granted license in 2012.
According to Swissport Bulgaria, this has led to an untenable situation and unfair competition forcing the company to file two claims with the Commission for Protection of Competition because of practices at Sofia Airport that have undermined competition and created an unsustainable ground handling market.
Swissport is especially targeting Goldair Handling Bulgaria, a subsidiary of Greece-based Goldair Handling, claiming that the company is not fulfilling the minimum financial stability requirements.
-Furthermore, the company has been engaging in unfair competition
in Bulgaria by offering prices that are significantly below cost, says Swissport Bulgaria.
A second claim relates to suspicions about the dominant position Sofia Airport holds in the ground handling market at the airport, as operator and administrator of the entire airport infrastructure.
-This gives it a very serious advantage in the competitive ground handling segment, both in terms of facilities and costs, says Swissport Bulgaria.
In addition to Swissport Bulgaria, set up June 2007 with main customers including Lufthansa, Wizzair and Austrian Airlines, other handling providers at the airport are Sofia Airport's own ground operation, Goldair Handling Bulgaria, which started operation in 2010, Bulgaria Air, performing part self-handling, and a fifth company, which was awarded a licence at the end of 2011 but has not yet launched operations, for unknown reasons.
By comparison, Frankfurt Airport has only two handling companies to provide handling services to 55 mio passengers per year.
According to Swissport Bulgaria, this has led to an untenable situation and unfair competition forcing the company to file two claims with the Commission for Protection of Competition because of practices at Sofia Airport that have undermined competition and created an unsustainable ground handling market.
Swissport is especially targeting Goldair Handling Bulgaria, a subsidiary of Greece-based Goldair Handling, claiming that the company is not fulfilling the minimum financial stability requirements.
-Furthermore, the company has been engaging in unfair competition
in Bulgaria by offering prices that are significantly below cost, says Swissport Bulgaria.
A second claim relates to suspicions about the dominant position Sofia Airport holds in the ground handling market at the airport, as operator and administrator of the entire airport infrastructure.
-This gives it a very serious advantage in the competitive ground handling segment, both in terms of facilities and costs, says Swissport Bulgaria.
In addition to Swissport Bulgaria, set up June 2007 with main customers including Lufthansa, Wizzair and Austrian Airlines, other handling providers at the airport are Sofia Airport's own ground operation, Goldair Handling Bulgaria, which started operation in 2010, Bulgaria Air, performing part self-handling, and a fifth company, which was awarded a licence at the end of 2011 but has not yet launched operations, for unknown reasons.
By comparison, Frankfurt Airport has only two handling companies to provide handling services to 55 mio passengers per year.