Hopkins ground service provider Swissport loses contracts, will lay off 200+ workers

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CLEVELAND (WJW) — Swissport , a ground service provider at Cleveland Hopkins international Airport , intends to lay off more than 200 workers when it stops nearly all its ground handling operations there, according to a state unemployment notice.

The provider in a Sept. 4 notice reported it had lost its contracts with three airlines at Hopkins: Frontier, Air Canada and Spirit Airlines, and that it has “no other choice” but to terminate almost all its ground handling employees at the airport on Nov. 4.

Affected employees were expected to be notified in-person or by mail by Sept. 4. They are not represented by a union.

The majority of the 216 workers are either passenger service agents or ramp agents, according to the notice. More than a dozen managers or supervisors are also expected to be terminated.

Swissport has been operating at Hopkins since 1987, according to its website.

State unemployment laws requires larger businesses to notify the state 60 days before any major layoffs.

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