Delta switches contractors at Hartsfield-Jackson, jobs affected

Delta Air Lines is switching contractors at Hartsfield-Jackson International, affecting jobs at the world's busiest airport.

ABM Aviation, a contractor that cleans airplane cabins and does janitorial work for Atlanta-based Delta, notified the Georgia Department of Economic Development this month that it will no longer provide those services for Delta at the Atlanta airport.

Delta said in a written statement: “No work is being eliminated and current employees will receive preferential hiring with the new vendor.”  The airline said it regularly reviews suppliers.

ABM notified the state that 1,121 employees will be affected effective April 12.

The cabin cleaning contract will be taken over by AirCo, a ground handling services provider formed after Delta last year sold a stake in wholly owned subsidiary Delta Global Services in a deal with Argenbright Holdings I LLC. AirCo is jointly owned by Argenbright, with a 51 percent stake, and Delta, with a 49 percent stake.

Delta said it reviewed contracts for aircraft cleaning, janitorial, Skycap, wheelchair and security vendors, and is notifying contractors of its 2019 selections.

In 2017, Delta switched its contractor for wheelchair agents from ABM to Delta Global Services.

About the Author