Ground handling and security services at London Oxford Airport (EGTK) will be conducted by aviation services group Unifi under new contracts announced on Wednesday. Unifi is responsible for ramp operations and fueling as of April 15, and from May 1, it will also be in charge of all aspects of security at the UK airport.
This is the first time privately-owned London Oxford Airport has put an external company in charge of security and ramp operations. Unifi will be responsible for year-round security cover, including ID center management, access control, passenger screening, and visitor and delivery coordination.
The contracts were awarded to the U.S.-based group’s Unifi Aviation UK subsidiary, which already owns Up & Away, an aircraft cleaning and detailing business that serves operators at Oxford and other British airports. It is Unifi’s first contract in the business aviation sector, building on its experience with scheduled airline operations at 220 airports, including 20 sites in the UK.
Unifi is recruiting 35 staff for ramp handling and security operations as it takes over responsibility from the airport’s owner. Ramp services will be branded as London Oxford Airport powered by Unifi.
“We are pleased to welcome Unifi as our first ever outsourced ground handling partner since launching executive aviation activity with [UK-regulated] security compliance for passengers and baggage in 2008,” said Kris Black, London Oxford Airport’s operations director.