Widerøe Ground Handling will lose 80 percent of the contract for the delivery of ground services to SAS from 1 February. It will have consequences for the employees, according to the WGH manager.
Widerøe Ground Handling took over SAS Ground Handling’s operations at Norwegian airports in 2016. Photo: Widerøe Ground Handling Published:
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– Many of our employees face an uncertain future. Our assessment is that employees will be affected by redundancies as a result of this, but the extent is not known, says Managing Director of Widerøe Ground Handling (WGH), Marius Myhre to E24 and adds:
– This is a demanding day for WGH.
The company loses the SAS contract at the airports in Trondheim, Stavanger, Bodø, Haugesund, Kristiansund and Ålesund. It includes everything from customer service, check-in and baggage handling to cleaning and flight service. Myhre does not have an estimate of how many employees may be affected, because the company is now in a tender process which it “can potentially win”.
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– It is a little surprising that SAS is moving such a large proportion of the contract. We feel that we have stretched ourselves very far in order to be competitive and therefore we are both disappointed and sorry, says Myhre in Tuesday’s press release and continues;
– I am particularly sorry on behalf of all our dedicated employees who over many years have provided services to SAS who now face a few uncertain weeks.
Although WGH is now losing the contract for six airports, a new contract has been signed for six airports. However, this also includes Molde Airport, where SAS recently announced that they are canceling the route.
Widerøe and SAS have collaborated closely at times for many years, but recently the collaboration has deteriorated. Especially after Norwegian made it known this summer that it wants to buy Widerøe.
The companies that operate ground services in Norway
Photo: Source: The companies’ websites and reports on the number of employees.
Aviator tar over
– Why are you dropping Widerøe Ground Handling?
– We have had a commercial tender round and Aviator is taking over the delivery of ground services for sas at a further six airports. Aviator has delivered to three airports already, says communications manager at SAS, Tonje Sund.
She goes on to say that the new agreement will come into force on 1 February 2024
– Why do you choose Aviator over Widerøe Ground Handling?
– We do not go into detail about the content of that type of negotiation and agreement. It has been a normal tender competition.
Is this related to Norwegian’s attempt to buy Widerøe?
– No, we can deny that. We would like to emphasize that this is a tender on commercial terms, she says.
Norwegian will buy Widerøe, with 43 aircraft and over 400 daily departures. E24 has previously written about how the purchase could change the entire market for ground services in Norway. Today, Norwegian Widerøe Ground Handling’s competitor Aviator is used at almost all the major Norwegian airports they fly to except Gardermoen.
This spring, Norwegian chose a solution where they themselves handle check-in and customer service through the newly formed company Red Handling. Baggage handling at Gardermoen, on the other hand, is left to the company Menzies by Norwegian for the time being.
Turbulent existence
The employees who work in the companies that perform ground services in Norway have experienced a great deal of turbulence in recent years. During the pandemic, all companies downsized heavily.
In addition, major changes are taking place in connection with the tenders in which these companies must constantly participate.
When Widerøe Ground Handling lost out to Aviator in the competition to supply services to SAS in Bergen, Tromsø and Kristiansand in 2021, many employees there lost their jobs.
Aviator would then not employ all those who lost their jobs. The trade unions believed that it was in reality a transfer of business and that the employees were entitled to continue in their jobs. The trade unions sued Aviator, but lost.
2023-09-26 10:14:45
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