Baggage handling operator Swissport Ireland reported a strong return to profit growth last year after securing new contracts and a “normalisation” in processing times for staff security passes at Dublin Airport.In recently filed accounts, the directors of the Swiss-owned company also said that a sharp decrease in equipment repair costs contributed to improved financial results in 2025.Swissport, which operates from Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports, reported an almost seven-fold increase in after-tax profits last year to nearly €8.5 million. Revenues increased by 12 per cent to €66.4 million, according to the filings. The turnaround follows a steep 80 per cent decline in after-tax profits in 2024 to just over €1.1 million, which Swissport said was due to increased equipment repair costs and delays in security pass processing at Dublin Airport.In their report attached to the 2025 filings, however, the company’s directors said those additional costs – associated with “staff deployment and travel” – did not recur last year. The 9 per cent VAT rate has been welcomed by restaurants but does the hospitality sector actually need it? Listen | 39:12“The normalisation of the pass process eliminated the need for this supplementary resource deployment,” the directors said. Swissport Ireland also benefited from lower equipment repair costs in 2025, due to the progress of the group’s fleet renewal programme, according to the report. “With newer assets in operation, maintenance requirements reduced compared to the elevated levels experienced in 2024 when the ageing fleet demanded more frequent and costly repairs,” the directors said. Swissport Ireland also reduced its headcount by more than 20 per cent to 840 in the year. Staff costs, including wages and salaries, were little changed at just over €40 million, however. Meanwhile, the directors said they now expect international air passenger growth to exceed its previous forecasts into 2027. While this is positive for activity levels, they said the recent “uncertainty introduced by current geopolitical events” has the potential to “both positively and negatively impact the business”. Swissport Ireland found itself at the centre of a public controversy in the summer of 2022 when a large number of passenger bags went missing at Dublin Airport. The incident happened at a time when Aer Lingus and other airlines were forced to cancel flights at short notice due to a spike in Covid-19 infections among staff numbers, as well as industrial action in France.Swissport apologised for its role in the travel chaos at the time. “We are working hard to address our resource challenges, with over 3,500 new hirings since the start of the year,” a spokesman said at the time. “We will continue to work with our partners to find solutions for this industrywide issue.”