Swissport International, the world’s leading provider of ground services to the aviation sector, has appointed a new overall head of its South African operations: Lothar Kilchenmann (53), who served until recently as Head of Sales & Marketing at Swissport Zurich, will assume his new duties as CEO of Swissport South Africa on 1 May. He succeeds Willy Hallauer (63), who is retiring.
Zurich/Johannesburg – Swissport will continue to pursue its present growth strategy for Southern Africa, and all other key positions at Swissport South Africa will remain unchanged.
Lothar Kilchenmann is a highly experienced member of the aviation community. After some 25 years with Swissair in various capacities (including numerous secondments abroad), he joined Swissport in 2003 to assume responsibility for Sales & Marketing at Zurich, the biggest station within the Swissport Group. Having transferred to Swissport International’s head office to become a Global Key Account Manager at the beginning of 2009, he is now looking forward to his new career challenge as CEO of Swissport South Africa. Swissport wishes him every satisfaction and success in his new capacity.
Willy Hallauer, too, can look back on a long and successful aviation career. After holding various management positions at SR Technics in and outside Switzerland, he joined the ground handling industry leader in 1996 as CEO of Swissport Zurich. He went on to serve as Swissport International’s Executive Vice President Asia/Middle East/Africa in 2002 and 2003 before assuming overall responsibility for the Swissport Group’s business development one year later. He was appointed CEO of Swissport South Africa in February 2007, with concurrent responsibility for the Africa & Middle East region.
The licence renewal and the conclusion of five-year handling agreements with South African Airways (SAA), Mango and Airlink for the entire hub operation in Johannesburg and five further South African stations have been among the highlights of Willy Hallauer’s tenure. After a careful handover of his duties to Lothar Kilchenmann in April, he will be leaving to concentrate on new and personal projects. Swissport offers him its warmest thanks for his many years of service and its close and successful collaboration, and wishes him all the best for the future.
Swissport South Africa has a workforce of 1850 personnel and operates at six of the country’s airports, handling over 100’000 flights and 150’000 tonnes of cargo a year for 22 airline customers. The operation’s business outlook is very bright, with the choice of South Africa to host soccer’s 2010 World Cup Finals offering particularly promising prospects for both the country and its aviation sector.
Photo: Swissport International has appointed a new overall head of its South African operations: Lothar Kilchenmann (53) / Swissport International
