Edinburgh's Menzies Aviation goes big Down Under with latest Qantas airport contracts

Edinburgh-headquartered Menzies Aviation has expanded its presence Down Under after bagging contracts with Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier.

Menzies Aviation has announced contract wins for its ground services business with Qantas Airways, Australia’s flag carrier and largest airline, at Perth, Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin.

As of this week, the firm has commenced operations at both Perth and Brisbane airports, with operations at Cairns and Darwin commencing in the next few weeks.

Across all four locations, Menzies is anticipating handling more than 40,000 Qantas flights per year.

The latest deal will significantly expand the group’s long-standing partnership with the Qantas Group in Australia over the last ten years.

Menzies already provides the airline with a full suite of various services at 14 airports around the world.

The firm said the ground services contract would build on the momentum of the recent major contract win with Jetstar Airways at its Melbourne hub. Jetstar is the budget airline arm of Qantas Group.

Alistair Reid of Menzies Aviation said: “We are delighted that Qantas has chosen Menzies once again as its handling partner of choice.

“This award is the result of a close working relationship that we have cultivated in a number of locations, which has enabled us to develop a deep understanding of Qantas’ requirements.

“This contract win combined with the broadening of our relationship with Jetstar will see Menzies Aviation significantly increasing its footprint in Australia, which is strategically and commercially very important to us.”

Last week, a joint venture involving Menzies Aviation was awarded a contract to provide services at Baghdad International Airport.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) awarded an exclusive contract for the delivery of ground handling, cargo and fuelling services at the airport to Menzies’ joint venture (JV) with Iraqi Airways, trading as MASIL.

It is the first licence of its kind to be awarded by the ICAA to a foreign aviation services company. The award comes as the country looks to global industry players to help grow its aviation industry, a key driver for the economy,

Menzies Aviation is a major global provider of passenger, ramp and cargo services. It operates at 200-plus airports in 34 countries.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic hitting the industry, Menzies Aviation handled 1.2 million aircraft turns per year, 1.5 million tonnes of cargo and fuelling for 3.6 million turnarounds.

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