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Menzies Aviation

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John Menzies Ltd.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAviation
Founded1833; 193 years ago (1833)
FounderJohn Menzies
HeadquartersEdinburgh, Scotland, UK
Key peoplePhilipp Joeinig (Chairman & CEO)[1]
ServicesAircraft ground handling
Air cargo
RevenueIncrease US$1,352.5 million (2021)[2]
Increase US$75.8 million (2021)[2]
Increase US$29.9 million (2021)[2]
ParentAgility Logistics
Websitewww.menziesaviation.com

John Menzies Ltd. is an aviation services business providing aircraft ground handling services, through its subsidiary Menzies Aviation Ltd. The company also provides air cargo services through its subsidiary Air Menzies International. The company is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

On 4 August 2022, Agility Logistics acquired the company and announced that it would begin to integrate its operations with its National Aviation Services subsidiary, and rebrand the combined business as Menzies Aviation.[3][4]

History

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Former John Menzies logo

Bookseller John Menzies founded his eponymous company in Princes Street, Edinburgh, in 1833.[5][a] Its first airport bookstall opened in Edinburgh in 1948.[8] Menzies bookshops and newsagents spread across the U.K., often located at railway stations. The company bought rival Wyman & Sons in 1959[9] and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1962.[10]

Airport services

In 1976 the company created Air Menzies International (AMI) to offer wholesale airfreight and express services to forwarders, customs brokers, and packaging and courier agents.[11][12] In 1987 Menzies bought Scan International Group and Cargosave handling companies. AMI was acquired in 1993.[13] Operations from Heathrow Airport began with the acquisition of Concorde Express Transport in 1995.[14]

Menzies' retail division was sold to WHSmith in May 1998.[15] In 2000 Menzies Aviation bought Ogden Aviation to enter the ground handling sector and expanded its international operations.[16] The company began cargo and ground handling services in Australia and the United States in 2006. In January 2007, the company merged its newspaper & magazine wholesale distribution business in Northern Ireland with Eason & Son's to form EM News Distribution. Menzies bought all the joint venture's shares in 2017.[17]

In 2017 Menzies Aviation bought specialist aircraft fueller Aircraft Services International from BBA Aviation.[18] After a planned merger between the Menzies Distribution and DX Group collapsed in 2017, the company sold 90% of its distribution division to Endless.[19]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the company fired 17,500 staff.[20] The number of flights Menzies handled fell by 60% during the second quarter 2020.[21]

Ground handling equipment operated by Menzies Aviation at O. R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa during 2025

In April 2022, Menzies Aviation bought Agunsa Aviation Services, a Santiago-based ground and air cargo handling services company.[22]

Takeover

Agility Logistics bought Menzies Aviation in August 2022 to merge operations with its Kuwaiti National Aviation Services unit.[23][24][25]

In 2023 Menzies Aviation bought a majority stake in the Jamaican ground and cargo handling company, AJAS Limited;[26] expanded operations in Mexico, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Italy; and won operating licenses in Canada, Costa Rica, and Chile.[27] In 2024 Menzies Aviation bought half of Hong Kong-based Jardine Aviation Services Group, to form Menzies CNAC Aviation Services. It also bought a controlling interest in Groundforce Portugal.[28] In 2025, the company bought G2 Secure Staff to expand operations in the U.S. and increasing its global presence to 350 airports in 65 countries.[29]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Menzies died at his townhouse, 3 Grosvenor Crescent in Edinburgh's West End,[6] and was buried in Warriston Cemetery, on the north side of the city.[7]

References

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  1. ↑ "Main Board". John Menzies. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2021" (PDF). John Menzies. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Agility Completes £763 Million Acquisition of Menzies Aviation". PR Newswire. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Menzies Aviation and NAS have joined forces". Menzies Aviation. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "John Menzies: From the high street to the skies". BBC News. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  6. ↑ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1875-6
  7. ↑ "Warriston Cemetery". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Menzies – The Worlds Largest Aviation Services Provider". Flightline Weekly. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Railway station bookstalls". Culham Ticket Office. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Menzies in half-century celebration". Herald Scotland. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "John Menzies: From the high street to the skies". 21 February 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. ↑ "AMI - Air Menzies International". freightnews.co.za. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "1993-2002: Time for technology". aircargonews.net. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "CONTRACTS | 26th October 1995 | The Commercial Motor Archive". archive.commercialmotor.com.
  15. ↑ "Menzies sells shops to WH Smith in GBP 64m deal". Scotland on Sunday. Edinburgh, Scotland. 8 March 1998. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2022 – via HighBeam Research.
  16. ↑ "Menzies to buy Ogden Services". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  17. ↑ "Menzies pays €3.6m for Eason's half of joint venture". Irish Independent. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  18. ↑ "John Menzies buys plane refuelling firm". BBC News. 16 September 2016.
  19. ↑ "John Menzies sells distribution business". BBC News. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "John Menzies lays off 55% of staff as coronavirus hits air travel". Reuters. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "John Menzies soars on better trading and strong liquidity". Shares Magazine. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  22. ↑ "Menzies acquires Chile's Agunsa". Airports International. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Menzies Aviation accepts £571m takeover by Kuwaiti rival". BBC News. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "Kuwait's Agility Unit Tristar sign M&A deals for $965 million". The Capital Quest. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  25. ↑ "Edinburgh's Menzies Aviation opens 'new chapter' after takeover by Kuwaiti firm completes". The Scotsman. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "Menzies to acquire majority stake in AJAS Limited". magazine.groundhandling.com. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "Menzies Aviation accelerates growth during first year under new ownership". makhazen.com. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "Menzies grows in Hong Kong with Jardine investment". aircargonews.net. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "Menzies Aviation doubles U.S. footprint with completion of $305m acquisition of G2". menziesaviation.com. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
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