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Flight Support Takes Over Ground Handling

15th March 2007

Flight Support Takes Over Ground Handling at Coventry Airport

Coventry Airport announced today (14 March) that Flight Support, the UK’s newest and fast expanding ground handling company is moving in, effective Thursday, 15 March. The independently owned company is taking over the assets and operations of Coventry Airport Handling Ltd, together with its 103 staff. John Bolton and Paul Davies will remain with the company in their existing roles. Coventry Airport becomes Flight Support’s fourth UK station.

“We are delighted to welcome CEO Brett Turner and his team to Coventry Airport,” said Coventry Airport Managing Director Chris Orphanou. The organisation, although just two years old, has made great strides at Isle of Man Ronaldsway, Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports supporting the likes of leading carriers VLM, flybe and Flyglobespan. Its hands-on ‘can do’ approach and commitment to service has seen it quickly win recognition from a growing customer base of charter and scheduled carriers.”

Flight Support, which will keep the Coventry Airport Handling name for the foreseeable future, will handle all the services of lead operator Thomsonfly and its 13 scheduled destinations including Paris, Jersey, Barcelona, Faro, Malaga and Salzburg. It will also look after Wizzair when the Hungarian low cost carrier launches its three times weekly services to Katowice, Poland from July 2007.

“We are very excited about moving in to Coventry Airport and look forward to playing a supportive role to the airport’s new management as it steers its expansion with plans for a new passenger terminal and enhanced passenger facilities,” said Brett Turner. “This acquisition doubles our operation and workforce and gives us a presence outside of the North West for the first time. I am very confident that we can work together to achieve maximum success.

Brett Turner is intent on bringing constructive airline thinking to ground handling at Coventry Airport, drawing on his experience as a one time airline customer. Brett worked in senior operations roles with Manx Airlines, its successor British Airways CitiExpress and was COO of EuroManx before establishing Flight Support in February 2005.

Flight Support, owned by Corporate Jet Services Ltd, first began operations at Ronaldsway Airport in February 2005 with 22 staff. It moved into Liverpool John Lennon Airport in October 2005 and then acquired Manchester Handling Ltd in May 2006. With the addition of Coventry Airport Handling Ltd, Flight Support will have a bolstered fleet of more than 200 people and its annual turnover will exceed £6 million.

In January 2006, Coventry Airport was acquired by CAFCO-C and through CIAO (Convergence International Airports Organisation) its technical management team, the new management, led by Chris Orphanou and Chairman William Charnock, embarked on an extensive forward thinking development plan, investing more than £4.6 million in airport improvements in the past 12 months. Approval is anticipated soon for the construction of a new passenger terminal, which will increase the capacity for passenger throughput from 0.98 million to 2 million passengers per annum. “Our aim is to provide a permanent, efficient and modern airport for our airlines and customers alike. In the meantime we continue to move forward with developing other aspects of the airport, especially the airline route network.”

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