Handlex was founded in Montreal in 1988 under the name Haycot. After a period of strong growth, Handlex began operating at Pearson International Airport in Toronto in May 1993.

In 2000, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Transat, one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada’s holiday travel leader. Its name change to Handlex was followed by another period of growth for the company, which established agreements with new clients. This drive to expand also led to the creation of new facilities at Montreal–Trudeau airport in 2004 and Vancouver airport in 2006.

In 2007, Handlex reviewed every aspect of its image, which will now be based on Transat’s main symbol, the blue star. Its uniforms, ground equipment and website all now display the company’s new colours.