Lisbon, Oct. 16, 2025 (Lusa) - Menzies (formerly Groundforce) lost the tender to renew the handling licences for the three mainland airports of Lisbon, Porto and Faro and will contest the results, the handling company said on Thursday.
According to various media outlets, the tender jury chose a Spanish consortium comprising Clece and South.
"Menzies Aviation was formally notified yesterday [Wednesday] of the results of the preliminary report issued by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) regarding the tender for the renewal of activity licences at the three airports on the Portuguese mainland - Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO) and Faro (FAO)," said the company.
"Menzies regrets this result and does not agree with the classification awarded," it said, indicating that it believes that its proposal "presents proven operational excellence, continuity and a fully qualified workforce, made up of more than 3,500 employees who have consistently provided high safety and quality services to customers and the community."
The company recalled that since the acquisition of SPdH (formerly Groundforce) by Menzies Aviation in 2024, "the company has maintained strong operational performance, high compliance standards and constructive labour relations, underpinned by a Company Agreement that protects employee rights and ensures service stability".
The group believes that its proposal "represents the best overall value and the lowest risk for ANAC and the general public".
"Based on the analysis carried out on the other proposals submitted, we consider that there are multiple objective and technical grounds for contesting ANAC's preliminary report, in accordance with the deadlines established by the tender procedure," it emphasised.
Menzies also said that it is concerned that this decision "could cause significant operational disruption and uncertainty for thousands of employees, customers and jeopardise the stability of the sector".
It will therefore "immediately initiate the formal appeal process and resort to all available means to ensure that the integrity and fairness of the outcome are fully reviewed, as stipulated in the tender rules".
Contacted by Lusa, ANAC said only that "within the scope of the tender procedure, the competitors were notified by the jury of the preliminary report" and that this is "normal and regular procedure within the scope of the tender".
The regulator emphasised that "the bidders will now have the period to present their opinion", stressing that "the final report has not been drawn up, nor is there any decision or selection of the service provider at this stage".
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