Liberty Air Services welcomes Emirates to Brisbane

Australia's newest Airport Ground Handling company, "Liberty Air Services" today welcomed the arrival of its first customer to Brisbane.

Emirates flight EK 430 from Dubai via Singapore landed at Brisbane International Terminal this morning and was met by Liberty ground crew members as it pulled in to the gate for the first time.

Liberty is a joint venture between Virgin Blue and Patrick Air Services and was set up to provide competition in another sector of the Australian aviation market.

The new company is the latest Patrick venture to offer aviation related services, complimenting the jointly owned domestic carrier Virgin Blue, Patrick Air Services cargo handling and Jetcare line engineering.

Liberty will look after the ground handling needs of international airlines operating at Brisbane International Airport.

Head of Virgin Blue Ground Services and leader of the Liberty start-up team, Diederik Pen, said, "Emirates is a world class airline well known for its attention to detail and high service standards and we couldn't ask for a better launch customer."

"We see our relationship with Emirates as a vote of confidence in Liberty and look forward to delivering outstanding ground handling services to them as well as many other airlines in the future."

The company will initially look after the needs of the airline operating in and out of Brisbane but it is already looking to expand operations to other key ports across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

"Today is very exciting for the Liberty team after spending the past few months working tirelessly to set up the new company from scratch, involving everything from sourcing equipment and new team members to training and uniform selection."

Liberty will carry out all ground handling requirements for Emirates in Brisbane including check-in and baggage loading and unloading when the carrier touches down twice a day.

More than 36 staff have been recruited for full and part-time roles in the Liberty launch team.

Diederik Pen added, "As we gain more customers and move into other markets, more job opportunities will open up. We have set our sights on making sure we provide strong competition in the industry, value for money and a professional friendly service on the ground, as Virgin Blue has done in the air."

"Today is a great day for Emirates and a great day for Liberty Air Services and I have no doubt that it will be a winning partnership for both parties," finished Diederik Pen.