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Menzies to lay off 100 staff at Amsterdam Schiphol
ONE hundred freight staff employed by air cargo handler Menzies at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol are to be made redundant, claimed trade union FNV, as a result of customers AirBridgeCargo (ABC) and Etihad losing slots over the winter season.
Media reports state that the handler lost business from ABC and Etihad, following winter slot allocations that lead to a 15 per cent reduction in freighter flights, equivalent to 37 flights, and a 20 per cent cut in freight capacity.
AirBridgeCargo, the carrier with the largest freighter capacity at Amsterdam, told UK's The Loadstar: "We are still in the process of negotiating the slots issue in Amsterdam but, regretfully, we can admit that ABC will definitely lose some of its current slots in Schiphol.
"Currently, ABC is in the process of choosing alternative airports to serve in Europe that are best positioned in regards to location and service levels. Considering that there have been such rumours for a while, we have already started talking to our customers to collect their views on this subject, because our main goal is to satisfy our client's needs and to make our delivery process as smooth as possible."
Temporary workers will also be laid off at Menzies at Schiphol, with one handling source admitting there would be "an impact for handlers with excess capability."
Schiphol's slot problem came to light when the airport reached capacity of 500,000 flights per year up to 2020, an amount agreed with stakeholders across Amsterdam.
Based on the EU/IATA 80:20 rule, slot allocations in full airports can only be given when an airline has used, as scheduled, at least 80 per cent of its flights. Freighter airlines tend to fall foul of this as schedules change based on cargo flows, making them more likely than other traffic to lose slots.
AirCargoNetherlands (ACN) and Dutch shippers' and trade association EVO Fenedex have been lobbying in parliament for the introduction of "local rules", with support from six freighter operators, ABC, Cargolux, Kalitta, Emirates, Singapore and Qatar.
Local rules would allow the slot allocation coordinator to waive the standard 80:20 rules, in compliance with EU law, and, in this case, give freighter operators a better deal.
Media reports state that the handler lost business from ABC and Etihad, following winter slot allocations that lead to a 15 per cent reduction in freighter flights, equivalent to 37 flights, and a 20 per cent cut in freight capacity.
AirBridgeCargo, the carrier with the largest freighter capacity at Amsterdam, told UK's The Loadstar: "We are still in the process of negotiating the slots issue in Amsterdam but, regretfully, we can admit that ABC will definitely lose some of its current slots in Schiphol.
"Currently, ABC is in the process of choosing alternative airports to serve in Europe that are best positioned in regards to location and service levels. Considering that there have been such rumours for a while, we have already started talking to our customers to collect their views on this subject, because our main goal is to satisfy our client's needs and to make our delivery process as smooth as possible."
Temporary workers will also be laid off at Menzies at Schiphol, with one handling source admitting there would be "an impact for handlers with excess capability."
Schiphol's slot problem came to light when the airport reached capacity of 500,000 flights per year up to 2020, an amount agreed with stakeholders across Amsterdam.
Based on the EU/IATA 80:20 rule, slot allocations in full airports can only be given when an airline has used, as scheduled, at least 80 per cent of its flights. Freighter airlines tend to fall foul of this as schedules change based on cargo flows, making them more likely than other traffic to lose slots.
AirCargoNetherlands (ACN) and Dutch shippers' and trade association EVO Fenedex have been lobbying in parliament for the introduction of "local rules", with support from six freighter operators, ABC, Cargolux, Kalitta, Emirates, Singapore and Qatar.
Local rules would allow the slot allocation coordinator to waive the standard 80:20 rules, in compliance with EU law, and, in this case, give freighter operators a better deal.
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