Edinburgh aviation provider Menzies lands Colombian deal with start-up airline

Menzies, the Edinburgh-headquartered aviation services company in the process of being acquired by a Kuwaiti suitor, has secured a new contract in Colombia.

The firm has landed the deal with Ultra Air, a new “ultra-low-cost” carrier launched in Colombia, to provide full ground handling services at four airports.

As part of a three-year contract, the group will provide full ground handling services to the airline at Colombia’s four largest airports - Bogota, Medellin, Barranquilla and Cali.

Bosses noted that Colombia was experiencing rapid growth in the aviation industry.

The Scottish group has secured the deal with Ultra Air, a new 'ultra-low-cost' carrier launched in Colombia, to provide full ground handling services at four airports.

John Redmond, executive vice president, Americas, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are excited to expand our presence in Colombia and are proud to have supported Ultra Air’s successful launch.

“Working with Ultra Air presents a unique opportunity for us to lend our expertise to a new airline as it establishes itself and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with Ultra Air as the business expands.”

Menzies, one of Scotland’s oldest companies, is likely to be sold after bosses said recently they planned to accept a renewed takeover offer of nearly £560 million.

The board said last month that Kuwaiti suitor National Aviation Services (NAS), a subsidiary of Agility, had upped its bid for the company by around £90m.

The bidder is an aviation services provider in emerging markets, which has its headquarters in Kuwait and is part of the wider Agility Public Warehousing Co.

John Menzies started out in 1833. The newspaper and magazine distribution business was spun out in 2018, creating Menzies Distribution, leaving the rest of the firm to focus on providing aviation services.

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