South Africa’s largest ground handling company, BidAir Services will be changing hands. National Aviation Services (NAS) (www.NAS.aero), Colossal Africa and a consortium comprised of the current executive management team have signed an agreement to acquire BidAir Services from the Bidvest Group. The closing of the acquisition is subject to fulfilling final requirements from the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) that manages South African airports as well as other regulatory approvals.
BidAir Services provides quality-handling services including passenger and ramp handling, load control and operations, cleaning, toilet and water services, amongst others at nine South African airports. The airports include three main international gateways – O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg, Cape Town International and King Shaka International in Durban. BidAir’s clientele of over 28 major airlines includes international carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air France, Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir.
Once the transaction is complete and regulatory approvals are obtained, BidAir Services will join the largest airport services network in Africa – NAS.
Discussing the acquisition, Hassan El-Houry, Group CEO of NAS said: “NAS prides itself on its global expertise and local knowledge. We believe that the success of the aviation industry in Africa is tied to its economic prosperity and have made significant investments into the industry across the continent. We look forward to adding BidAir Services, the largest South African ground handling company to our expanding network.”
NAS and Colossal Africa are committed to investing into the development of facilities and infrastructure, latest equipment, technology, recruitment and…