Shaheen Airport Services

Shaheen Airport Services (SAPS) is the largest ground handling agency in the private sector of Pakistan, providing facilities to commercial, corporate and private airlines at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta. SAPS headquarters is located in Karachi, although it has many offices located in many cities in Pakistan.

History

SAPS is a subsidiary of Shaheen Foundation, a welfare organization of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and was established in 1982. Its cargo warehouses at all stations are equipped to meet all cargo handling under one roof. It is a member of the IATA Ground Handling Council. [cite web |url=http://www.iata.org/ighc/public/details.aspx?code=11593&supplier=116 |title=The IGHC Interactive Directory |accessdate=2008-01-23 |publisher=IATA]

Its partners in business comprise a large number of international carriers including corporate and international operators like the United Nations as well as numerous private organizations.

Today, the company provides services and assistance to over twenty international carrier at different airports of Pakistan. The company expanded its activity by offering services to Cargo Freighters including handling and shipping from the airport to business within Pakistan. The company has also invested heavily to procure the new state of the art ground support equipments for handling the clients at all the major airports.

A new system called "SITA CUTE Lite" was launched in 2002 which is upgraded to "SITA Airport Connect Open 2008" involved upgrading of all SAPS systems which will make the company's operations at airports run smoother. When Lufthansa re-entered the Pakistani market, it teamed up with SAPS to provide services to its aircraft and passengers at Lahore and Karachi.

Services

Complete Ground Handling Services offered by SAPS are available at the following airports in Pakistan: Jinnah International Airport, Karachi; Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore; Islamabad International Airport, Rawalpindi; Peshawar International Airport, Peshawar; Quetta International Airport, Quetta;

Services as per IATA standards include: Aircraft Handling, Ramp Services, Baggage Services, Aircraft and Cabin Cleaning Services, Additional Ground Support Equipment, Passenger Handling, Check-In through Airport Connect Open, Catering Services, Flight Operations and Assistance, Special Passenger Handling Services, Cargo Handling, Cargo Screening and Warehousing, Security and Special Load Handling.

Airlines

The following list of passenger airlines are currently using SAPS as of May 2008;

* British Airways (London-Heathrow)
* Gulf Air (Bahrain)
* Iran Air (Tehran)
* Kuwait Airways (Kuwait)
* Lufthansa German Airlines (Frankfurt)
* Malaysia Airlines (Kula Lumpur)
* Qatar Airways (Doha)
* Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah)
* Shaheen Air International (Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore & Peshawar)
* Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
* Thai Airways (Bangkok)

Cargo Airlines

The following list of cargo airlines are currently using SAPS as of May 2008;

* Alitalia
* Cargolux
* Empost
* Lufthansa Cargo
* Shaheen Air Cargo
* Swiss World Cargo

References

External links

* [http://www.saps.com.pk/ Official website of Shaheen Airport Services]
* [http://www.saps.com.pk/training%20centre.htm Shaheen Airport Services: Training Center]