Edinburgh's Menzies Aviation doubles up on airport partnership with Polish carrier

Menzies, the Edinburgh aviation services group, has ramped up a key partnership with a Polish airline to cover airports across Europe and North America.

The group, which recently accepted a takeover offer by a Kuwaiti firm, said it had doubled the number of airports where it supports LOT Polish Airlines with ground and air cargo services.

The new five-year contract covers 12 airports across the airline’s global network, including key hubs at Chicago and Budapest.

New airports where Menzies will start supporting LOT include Los Angeles International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Iasi International Airport, Oslo Airport and Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport. Passenger and ramp services will be provided at all new locations, with air cargo services also starting at Toronto.

Menzies Aviation said it had doubled the number of airports where it supports LOT Polish Airlines with ground and air cargo services.

Menzies said the integration of additional locations into its existing partnership with LOT had been “seamlessly facilitated” by the signing of a general terms of agreement (GTA), which “reflects the airline’s trust in Menzies and its intention to further bolster the relationship”.

Contract renewals for passenger, ramp and cargo services have also been agreed at Václav Havel Airport Prague, Budapest Airport and Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport, with the continuation of ramp and passenger services at Nice Côte d’Azur, ramp handling at O’Hare International Airport and de-icing, passenger and ramp services at London Heathrow. In addition, the firm will start providing passenger services at O’Hare.

Miguel Gomez, executive vice president Europe, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are thrilled to be growing our relationship with LOT Polish Airlines at 12 airports across Europe and North America.

“The extension of our partnership through the GTA demonstrates Menzies’ trusted reputation as ground handler of choice for the airline at these locations and we look forward to further strengthening our partnership over the years to come.”

Maciej Wilk, chief operating officer, LOT Polish Airlines, said: “We are very happy to open a new chapter of our relationship with Menzies, which is a world class aviation services company. It required a lot of effort on both sides to break the daily routine and look beyond simple contractual obligations.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved and look forward to further developing the relationship.”

Last month, bosses at Menzies accepted a takeover offer by a Kuwaiti firm, creating a business with a combined global headcount of 35,000.

The £571 million bid had already been made by a subsidiary of Agility Public Warehousing over a month earlier, but at that time was still conditional.

The board of Menzies - one of Scotland’s oldest companies - had at the time “indicated” to Agility that it would accept the bid once it was made firm.

John Menzies started out in 1833 when its eponymous founder opened a bookshop at 61 Princes Street, Edinburgh which was to become the only wholesale bookseller north of the Border.

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

The aviation business now operates at more than 200 airports in 37 countries.

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