Menzies keeps ground handling at Lisbon, Porto and Faro after the top-ranked rival is thrown out
Portugal's civil aviation authority, ANAC, ruled on Friday 23 October that SPdH, the former Groundforce controlled by Menzies Aviation, has the technical capacity to handle aircraft at the three airports, and issued its licences. The Clece/South consortium, part of the Iberia group, had the best-scored bid but was excluded for failing to line up the resources required.
The company that already loads the bags, wheels out the steps and drives the apron buses at Portugal’s three biggest airports is staying put. The national civil aviation authority, ANAC, completed its assessment of SPdH, the former Groundforce controlled by Menzies Aviation, on Friday 23 October and issued its licences for third-party ground handling at Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
According to ANAC’s statement, carried by the Lusa news agency, SPdH “demonstrates the necessary technical capacity” for the job. The aviation regulator’s statement, as reported, does not say how many licences there are or how long they run.
How it got here
The tender did not start in Menzies’ favour. The best-ranked bid, covering all three airports for seven years, came from a grouping of Clece and South Europe Ground Services, the Iberia group’s handling company.
At the licensing stage, though, ANAC found that the consortium had not shown it met the requirements, specifically lining up the resources needed. Unions reported that it was struggling to recruit staff. Its exclusion was settled in July, and SPdH was invited to file its qualification documents, the step that has now been completed.
There was a court fight along the way. SPdH challenged the procedure that had put the Spanish-led bid first, and the government extended the existing licences so planes kept being serviced while the case ran.
Where TAP fits
SPdH used to be 50.1% owned by Menzies and 49.9% by TAP. The airline has since sold its stake, one of the commitments it made to the European Commission under its restructuring plan, the same plan that must be completed before Lufthansa’s purchase of up to 49.9% of TAP can close.
For passengers, the upshot is continuity: the same ground crews, with no change of operator after a tender that had threatened one from the start.
By Beatriz Mota
Image: DarwIn (PESP) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
