ASC Handling's fleet includes pushback tugs, trailers and baggage carts

Rushlift GSE, the specialist airport ground support equipment subsidiary of Doosan Industrial Vehicles UK, has won a GBP3.4 million (USD4.16 million) contract to supply and maintain a fleet of 225 vehicles for ASC Handling's new Gatwick Airport operations.

The introduction of airside services at Gatwick by ASC Handling follows the company's recent signing of an agreement to support charter airline TUI.

The Gatwick contract is a significant expansion of Rushlift GSE's seven-year business relationship with ASC Handling, supplying specialist airside equipment to the company's Heathrow operations under a long-term leasing and maintenance arrangement.

Provision of the extensive range of vehicles at Gatwick, which includes pushback tugs, trailers, baggage carts, powered belt-loaders, high-loaders and cars, was negotiated and coordinated within a tight time-frame, between Christmas 2019 and a deadline of March 2020. To ensure a smooth 'go-live', a team of Rushlift GSE engineers, supervisors and managers, up to director level, were on station throughout the night prior to deadline.

"We were up against an extremely tight deadline, but we were confident that we could deliver on time," says Tim Willett, operations director at Rushlift GSE. "We have excellent relationships with the key equipment manufacturers. The challenge for our team was to ensure that orders stayed on schedule and that meant making daily checks with the equipment makers. It went right up to the wire, with final deliveries the day before the 'go-live'. However, the entire team worked through the night to get the job done."

ASC has been working closely with Rushlift GSE for over six years at Heathrow, says Maurizio Beni, ASC Handling managing director. "We have come to expect very high standards of service support and quality of equipment supplied, and this is delivered consistently."