Swissport has returned to the French market with a new cargo operation at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, opening a 3,000 sq m warehouse dedicated to airline cargo handling.

The new entity, Swissport Cargo Services France, splits its footprint between a 1,000 sq m French customs zone and 2,000 sq m of international handling space for the build-up and breakdown of airline pallets. The facility will initially focus on airline cargo handling activities.

Although it operates as an independent entity serving the French market, the new operation will work closely with Swissport's established Basel cargo operation across the border. The handler said the French unit will draw on the Basel team's expertise and on Swissport's global standards in safety, quality and operational excellence.

"France is an important aviation market with significant long-term potential for Swissport," said Bruno Stefani, regional chief executive Switzerland, Italy and France at Swissport.

"The launch of Swissport Cargo Services France marks a significant step in strengthening our presence in the country. Beyond cargo, we see opportunities to bring our global expertise in airport ground services and hospitality to the French market and to build strong, long-term partnerships with airlines and airports."

Andreas Behnke, head of cargo Switzerland, Italy and France and station manager Basel-Mulhouse at Swissport, said the dual-market setup lets the handler pair local French coverage with an experienced cross-border team.

"The new operation allows us to build on the strong expertise of our established Basel cargo team while developing a dedicated presence in France," Behnke said. "Our focus is on bringing the same commitment to teamwork, safety and operational excellence to our new operation and providing a strong foundation for its future development."

Network context

The launch strengthens Swissport's European cargo network, which sits within a global footprint of more than 120 cargo centres. Worldwide, the ground handler moves over 5m tons of airfreight annually, combining global scale and standardised processes with local operational expertise.

For airlines serving the Basel-Mulhouse catchment, the addition of a French customs zone on top of Swissport's existing Basel capacity gives shippers and forwarders a dual-country handling option at a single airport. Carriers gain a handler that can process freight under both Swiss and French customs regimes at one location, while forwarders with cross-border flows between France, Switzerland and the wider EU can consolidate throughput through one operator.

The move also positions Swissport to compete for ground services and hospitality contracts in France beyond cargo, a market Stefani signalled as part of the company's longer-term ambition.

A month of expansion

The French launch caps an aggressive run of growth announcements from the handler this month. Swissport entered the Indonesian air cargo market through a joint venture with Jakarta-based UNEX Aviation Services and moved into Colombia by acquiring Giraldo Hermanos International (GHI).

Together, the three moves extend Swissport's reach across Europe, Southeast Asia and South America within a single month, underlining a strategy of pairing greenfield openings such as Basel-Mulhouse with acquisitions and JVs in faster-growing freight markets.

The Basel operation itself has been scaling up in response to rising demand, and the new French entity effectively doubles down on that momentum at the same airport complex. With the customs zone now live and the handling space operational, Swissport will look to convert its Basel track record into airline contracts on the French side of the border.