South Africa’s largest ground handling company, BidAir Services will be changing hands. National Aviation Services (NAS), 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.
NAS and Colossal Africa are committed to investing into the development of facilities and infrastructure, latest equipment, technology, recruitment, and training. Green technology and paperless digital platforms will also be an important part of the operational landscape. The inclusion of the executive management team as part of the acquiring group will also ensure that there is a smooth transition to the new owners with no disruption to the excellent services that BidAir’s clients have become accustomed.
Once the transaction is complete and regulatory approvals are obtained, BidAir Services will join the largest airport services network in Africa – NAS.