Universal Aviation, the ground handling arm of Universal Weather & Aviation, has completed the integration of Portugal-based Safeport’s six ground handling locations into its global network, it said this week at EBACE 2025. Safeport has facilities at five airports in Portugal—Humberto Delgado (LPPT), Lisbon Cascais-Tejo Regional (LPCS), Francisco Sá Carneiro (LPPR), Beja (LPBJ), and Faro International (LPFR)—and one in Cape Verde at Amílcar Cabral International (GVAC), also known as Sal International Airport.
First announced in October at NBAA-BACE, the deal saw the rebranding of all of these locations as Universal Aviation facilities, extending the brand along the Atlantic corridor and better positioning it to support operators during the upcoming Mediterranean peak season and beyond. It adds additional Universal network capacity for customers operating into and out of Southern Europe or making Atlantic crossings via Cape Verde.
“Our goal has always been to make operating into Portugal and Cape Verde seamless for our clients,” said Universal chairman Greg Evans. “With Safeport now fully integrated, our customers benefit from consistent standards, deeper local expertise, and direct connectivity into one of Europe’s most important and growing regions.”
Universal has seen strong performance across the EMEA region, with overall traffic growth of more than 12% year over year. “The Safeport partnership is one part of a broader strategy to strengthen our network, in line with where demand is growing,” explained John Hewett, the company’s regional v-p for EMEA. “With summer already ramping up, we’re ready, with expanded infrastructure, trusted partners, and data-driven insights to deliver on every mission.”