The Menzies, formerly known as Groundforce, has lost the bid to renew handling licenses at the three mainland airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro and has announced plans to contest the outcomes. What is at stake?
The competition’s jury reportedly selected a Spanish consortium comprising Clece and South.
Subsequently, it was reported that the jury for the handling tender at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports concluded that the Clece/South consortium proposed a better allocation of human and material resources than Menzies.
According to the preliminary report accessed, the jury led by Sofia Simões rated the Clece/South consortium, part of the Iberia universe, with a score of 95.2523, while the Menzies, formerly Groundforce, achieved a score of 93.0526.
Menzies Aviation stated it “was yesterday [Wednesday] formally notified of the preliminary report results issued by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) regarding the license renewal tender for the three mainland Portuguese airports — Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO), and Faro (FAO),” according to the company.
“Menzies regrets this outcome and disagrees with the assigned rating,” it affirmed, asserting its belief that its proposal “demonstrates proven operational excellence, continuity, and a fully qualified workforce of over 3,500 employees who consistently deliver high-security and quality services to clients and the community.”
The company highlighted that following Menzies Aviation’s acquisition of SPdH (formerly Groundforce) in 2024, “the company has maintained strong operational performance, high compliance standards, and constructive labor relations, supported by a Corporate Agreement that safeguards employee rights and ensures service stability.”
The group believes its proposal “offers the best overall value and lowest risk for ANAC and the general public.”
“Based on the analysis of the other proposals submitted, we believe there are multiple objective and technical grounds to contest ANAC’s preliminary report, following the established tender procedure deadlines,” it emphasized.
Menzies Expresses Concern Over the Decision
Menzies also expressed concern that this decision “might cause significant operational disruptions and uncertainty for thousands of employees, clients, and harm sector stability.”
Therefore, it will “immediately initiate the formal appeal process and use all available means to ensure the integrity and fairness of the outcome are thoroughly reviewed, as stipulated in the tender rules.”
Union Issues Alert
The National Union of Civil Aviation Workers (Sintac) warned of the possible consequences for workers from Menzies’ loss of license, reminding that TAP holds 49.9% of the airport handling company.
“Sintac warns of possible risks for workers following the selection of the Clece/South handling operator (owned by Iberia, part of the IAG group) by ANAC,” stated the union, expressing surprise at the preliminary decision to award the handling licenses for Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports.
The union pointed out that the IAG group is also an interested party in the TAP privatization process, which holds 49.9% of Menzies’ (formerly Groundforce) capital.
“This connection raises legitimate doubts about potential conflicts of interest and the intentions behind this choice,” emphasized Sintac, suggesting it suspects the privatization may focus solely on the core airline business, excluding other group companies like Menzies.”
The Airport and Aviation Workers Union (Sitava) also expressed disbelief and indignation over the preliminary decision by the regulator to award the airport handling license to Clece/South, excluding Menzies.
“Although this report is preliminary and subject to appeal in the appropriate forums, the fact that the conditions stipulated in the recovery plan for license allocation are not being met leaves us, to say the least, astonished,” stated the union in a communiqué, expressing a mix of incredulity and indignation upon receiving the news.
When contacted, ANAC simply stated that “in the context of the tender process, the contestants were notified by the jury regarding the preliminary report” and emphasized that this is “normal and regular procedure within the scope of the tender.”
The regulator highlighted that “contestants now have the period to present their response,” stressing that “no final report has been produced, nor is there any decision or selection of service providers at this stage.”
