Page last updated at 27 Jan 2011

Babcock wins critical BAA baggage handling contract

Babcock International Group, one of the UK's leading airport support services organisations, has been awarded the £95 million baggage operations and maintenance contract at Heathrow Airport.

Securing this five year contract reinforces both the strength of Babcock's baggage handling delivery capability and its position as BAA's largest supplier. The contract starts on 1 March 2011.

This critical award sees Babcock operating and maintaining the baggage handling systems, including the Transfer Baggage Handling System, at Terminals 1 and 4, where over 35 million bags pass through each year. Services include the operations and maintenance strategy and improvement, operational activities, the management of spares, as well as planned and reactive maintenance.

Babcock is the major baggage services provider for Heathrow's Eastern and Western Campus, where it employs over 800 people. Over the life of the existing contract, Babcock's service record has proved exemplary scoring over 99 per cent across the board in the supplier performance assessments, whilst continuing to deliver both efficiencies and innovation.

Said Babcock's Austin Lewis: "We are delighted to win this key contract at Heathrow, particularly given the strength of the competition. This award is not only testament to the excellent work and commitment of our people, but to the strong partnering ethos demonstrated throughout Babcock that enables BAA, like all our customers, to focus on their core activity.

"These are challenging times for the travel industry, and as BAA's leading supplier partner, intend to draw on our broad capability for even greater innovation, efficiencies and best practice."

Babcock provides integrated solutions that support global critical airport operations, helping to keep passengers moving and flights on schedule. Our services include designing, installing and managing complex baggage handling systems, through to fleet management and engineering support for specialist ground support vehicles.

With over 15 years experience, Babcock uses its unrivalled baggage processing and operational knowledge, together with its specialist engineering skills in automated handling and control systems development, to deliver the optimum through-life performance in terms of cost, efficiency and reliability. We employ over 900 skilled personnel with experience in baggage system design, control systems development, operations, maintenance and general airport-based baggage services.