“The purpose of this meeting is to obtain immediate clarifications, ensure job stability, and guarantee that workers’ rights are fully respected throughout the process,” the union stated in a communiqué.
The government has extended Menzies’ (formerly Groundforce) licenses to May 19, 2026, citing the need to ensure service continuity during the ongoing tender process initiated by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).
The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, noted the “complexity” of the process—a public tender limited by prior qualification composed of three phases: submission and qualification of candidates, proposal submission, and license allocation—prevented the analysis of proposals from being completed within the initial timeframe.
The ministry also mentioned that “reservations” were expressed about the preliminary jury report, which is currently under reevaluation.
According to the preliminary report released by ANAC, the Clece/South group, part of Iberia, ranks first with 95.2523 points, while Menzies—the current service provider—scores 93.0526. The company has expressed regret over the result and challenged the ranking, arguing that it presented a proposal of “operational excellence” while employing over 3,500 workers.
The government anticipates the conclusion of the tender process will occur after the newly extended license validity period, followed by a transition period for document submission and requirement verification.
