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Swissport International has signed a binding agreement to acquire Swiftair Maroc, marking its formal entry into Morocco’s growing air cargo market and strengthening its strategic presence across Africa.
The acquisition gives Swissport access to operations at Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco’s primary air freight gateway, which handles nearly 95 percent of the country’s total air cargo volumes. The move aligns with Swissport’s broader strategy to expand its global cargo handling business in high-growth logistics markets.
Swiftair Maroc operates a 3,700-square-metre airside cargo warehouse equipped with temperature-controlled infrastructure, including dedicated cold rooms for pharmaceutical shipments and perishable goods. The facility is expected to strengthen Swissport’s capabilities in handling specialised cargo segments such as healthcare logistics, fresh produce, and time-sensitive exports.
Warwick Brady, President and CEO of Swissport International, described Morocco as a fast-growing logistics and trade hub connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He noted that the acquisition supports the company’s long-term objective of accelerating growth in its global cargo operations while enhancing service capabilities for international customers.
Industry observers view the acquisition as strategically timed, given Morocco’s rising importance in global supply chains. The country has seen steady growth in export-driven industries such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, and textiles. Casablanca, in particular, has emerged as a critical logistics gateway for North and West Africa, supported by increasing trade flows and investment in airport infrastructure.
The deal also strengthens Swissport’s existing footprint in Morocco. Through its local operations, the company already provides ground handling services at 16 airports across the country, along with executive aviation services in Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Tangier. Swissport also operates airport lounges under its Aspire brand at multiple Moroccan airports.
For Swiftair, the transaction is part of a broader corporate strategy to streamline operations and focus on core business activities. Salvador Moreno, Founder and CEO of Swiftair, said the company was confident Swissport would support the next phase of growth for Swiftair Maroc while maintaining strong collaboration between the two businesses.
The acquisition reflects a wider trend of global aviation and logistics companies investing in specialised cargo infrastructure and emerging regional hubs to meet growing demand for efficient, temperature-sensitive, and cross-border supply chain solutions. As air cargo volumes continue to evolve globally, Morocco’s strategic location and expanding export economy are likely to attract further international logistics investment in the coming years.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 https://cargoconnect.co.in/ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
Swissport International has signed a binding agreement to acquire Swiftair Maroc, marking its formal entry into Morocco’s growing air cargo market and strengthening its strategic presence across Africa. The acquisition gives Swissport access to operations at Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco’s primary air freight gateway, which handles nearly 95 percent of the country’s total air cargo volumes. The move aligns with Swissport’s broader strategy to expand its global cargo handling business in high-growth logistics markets. Swiftair Maroc operates a 3,700-square-metre airside cargo warehouse equipped with temperature-controlled infrastructure, including dedicated cold rooms for pharmaceutical shipments and perishable goods. The facility is expected to strengthen Swissport’s capabilities in handling specialised cargo segments such as healthcare logistics, fresh produce, and time-sensitive exports. Warwick Brady, President and CEO of Swissport International, described Morocco as a fast-growing logistics and trade hub connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He noted that the acquisition supports the company’s long-term objective of accelerating growth in its global cargo operations while enhancing service capabilities for international customers. Industry observers view the acquisition as strategically timed, given Morocco’s rising importance in global supply chains. The country has seen steady growth in export-driven industries such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, and textiles. Casablanca, in particular, has emerged as a critical logistics gateway for North and West Africa, supported by increasing trade flows and investment in airport infrastructure. The deal also strengthens Swissport’s existing footprint in Morocco. Through its local operations, the company already provides ground handling services at 16 airports across the country, along with executive aviation services in Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Tangier. Swissport also operates airport lounges under its Aspire brand at multiple Moroccan airports. For Swiftair, the transaction is part of a broader corporate strategy to streamline operations and focus on core business activities. Salvador Moreno, Founder and CEO of Swiftair, said the company was confident Swissport would support the next phase of growth for Swiftair Maroc while maintaining strong collaboration between the two businesses. The acquisition reflects a wider trend of global aviation and logistics companies investing in specialised cargo infrastructure and emerging regional hubs to meet growing demand for efficient, temperature-sensitive, and cross-border supply chain solutions. As air cargo volumes continue to evolve globally, Morocco’s strategic location and expanding export economy are likely to attract further international logistics investment in the coming years. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 https://cargoconnect.co.in/ 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!
Cargo handler Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) has expanded its pharma offering at the German hub with the opening of a new facility. The newly certified Pharma Center has been constructed in almost two years and has increased the company’s space used for handling temperature-controlled goods by fourfold, reaching 3,300 square meters. The center unites all pharma handling activities performed by the handler and allows receiving, dispatching, storing, disassembling, and assembling of whole pallets. “Besides handling loose freight in temperature-controlled storage areas, it is also possible to assemble whole pallets in a temperature-controlled manner and to store active loading units – that is, containers – with corresponding power supply,” the company stated. According to FCS, the center includes two segments of pharmaceutical handling: Controlled Room Temperature Storage, ranging from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, and Controlled Cool Storage, ranging from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. “We are currently witnessing an increasing demand for pharmaceutical handling services, and it is one of the fastest-growing sectors in our industry,” Managing Director of FCS Thomas Schürmann commented. He further stated, “I am delighted that, with our new Pharma Center, we not only offer the ideal conditions to achieve full control throughout the handling process, but are also optimally prepared for future growth due to an extended facility.”
There is certainly a spike in the demand for biologics, vaccines, other life-saving drugs, and precision medicines, and they have increasingly become central to the ever-evolving healthcare system. Delivering these across different regions is vital to mankind and requires precision and speed that define the ultimate prerequisites for high-value essentials. With the unique “geographical superpower” of Hong Kong, i.e., the access to half the world’s population within five hours flying time, Cathay Cargo is further bolstering the aviation gateway for the GBA and even the international market by incorporating Cathay Fresh and Cathay Pharma through its Cold Chain Logistics expertise. One of the critical pieces of this strategy is the Air Land Fresh Lane, developed in collaboration with Airport Authority Hong Kong. The system allows creating a clear and efficient intermodal pathway, which facilitates the transportation of inbound goods shipped via Hong Kong to the customs-controlled facilities of the mainland using the same air waybill. The importance of this move is considerable. Traditionally, temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical cargo transported to the Greater Bay Area was prone to re-documentation, delayed customs processing, and cargo re-classification. This resulted in higher risks of exposure to non-optimized temperatures. With Cathay Cargo, it will be possible to avoid such disruptions due to the continuous refrigerated handling from the moment the cargo is discharged from the airplane to its ground transportation. The logistics structure includes temperature-controlled dollies for airport ground movements, GPS-tracked temperature-controlled vehicles, thermal loggers, and chain of custody management by one person in an effort to reduce the risks of temperature excursions while in transit. Besides transport, Cathay Cargo's pharma solution package is being touted as a model to be adopted by others within the region for handling pharma cargo in its regulated form. The facility at the Hong Kong International Airport that is used for pharma handling has been certified by the IATA CEIV Pharma Certification Standards. The facility utilizes near real-time monitoring protocols via the use of its Ultra Track program, thus making it possible to undertake proactive actions when thermal drift or any other irregularities occur while moving and handling. This, alongside an extensive network of over 70 approved drug handling facilities worldwide, ensures continuous supply chains that are becoming decentralized and multi-destination. The coincidence is that this is taking place at the same period as the growth of biotech capabilities of the Greater Bay Area. The areas of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Macau are becoming one of the world’s leading biotech centers in Asia due to investments made in biologics manufacture and therapeutics. For more such news and updates, follow CARGOCONNECT.
