Infrastructure and support services firm Stobart Group, which owns and operates London Southend Airport and Carlisle Lake District Airport, has invested £2m (US$2.6m) in UK-based mobile luggage check-in and delivery service AirPortr.
AirPortr’s mobile luggage check-in and delivery service was launched in October 2016 with British Airways and is the first service of its kind to be integrated into airline booking systems. The investment from Stobart is part of a larger funding round and will support AirPortr’s plans to partner with more airlines and cities in the next three years. AirPortr vans will also be co-branded with the Stobart Aviation logo.
Randel Darby, CEO and founder of AirPortr, said, “In addition to the credibility of being backed by a FTSE 250 company and one of Britain’s best known brands, we are excited to be working with Stobart and the operational expertise that the group brings. This investment will help us to meet increasing demand for an alternative mobile check-in solution in cities around the world.
“Airline luggage logistics have long lagged behind some incredible developments in travel technology and we’re proud to pioneer a solution, which we feel could represent the biggest step change since the boarding pass went mobile.”
Warwick Brady, CEO of Stobart Group, said, “London airports are at peak capacity and this is having a major knock-on effect on customer experience. We believe that there are opportunities to improve the experience throughout the aviation supply chain; from hassle-free airports, to well managed and efficient luggage handling. We’re excited to support AirPortr, a business with logistics at its heart, to become another key component to a vertically integrated aviation business capable of improving airport capacity.”
The AirPortr service is currently available to British Airways customers for London Gatwick and Heathrow airports via its online channels and mobile app.