EULEN America provides a range of aviation services at several airports on the US East Coast and in Jamaica (as well as other services outside the sector). While the collapse of the aviation industry caused by the pandemic has of course brought challenges, it believes itself well positioned to benefit hugely from the recovery in the industry we are now seeing
In May, EULEN America was recertified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) compliant. First certified to ISAGO standard in 2010, the recertification was an important confirmation of the handler’s continuing high level of performance despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on business, says Larry Massaro, senior vice president of aviation at EULEN America.
Certification covers compliance with safety standards relating to organisation and management, load control, passenger and baggage handling, aircraft handling and loading, aircraft ground movements, and cargo and mail handling. Certification is due for renewal in November 2023.
“We are committed to providing the highest level of quality of service and safety standards to our clients,” Massaro declares. “This new certification covers all our stations and provides a high standard in terms of safety … in the services we provide to our clients and employees.”
Changing times
Massaro joined EULEN America only comparatively recently, in August last year. He is responsible for contract negotiations and resolving issues to ensure processes, systems, products, regulations and data are delivered seamlessly to all aviation customers, as well as being in charge of day-to-day oversight of EULEN aviation operations, strategic planning, leadership development and employee engagement.
EULEN was founded in 1962. Headquartered in the Spanish capital of Madrid, it has a presence in 14 countries. It offers a range of services including aviation services, cleaning, security and other facilities management services.
The company has been active in the US market for over a decade and has a North America corporate office in Miami, Florida. In the aviation market, it operates at 10 locations on the US eastern seaboard – the biggest of its operations here being at Miami International Airport (MIA) and New York JFK – as well as at two stations in the Caribbean at Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica. However, it only ramp handles at five stations – MIA, Tampa International Airport, Fort Myers (all three in Florida), Kingston and Montego Bay. At its other seven stations in the US it variously offers passenger handling or cleaning services.
EULEN America currently has a workforce of approximately 3,000 employees providing services across Florida, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington DC, and it is these people that are the “bedrock” of EULEN America’s business, Massaro insists. That is perhaps more the case than it ever was, he believes, given that while the ground handling business has not in itself been changed by the pandemic and consequent crash in the aviation industry, it has led to a change in the “dynamics of recruitment and staff retention”.
In other words, it became much harder to retain employees during the downturn and has become harder to recruit new staff now as the industry recovers, because so many handlers have moved to other jobs. It has been a challenge therefore, says Massaro, to win back or replace the workers that had to be laid off during the worst of the pandemic. “It’s a very competitive market out there” in terms of attracting new people to the industry, he warns.
