Spanish consortium Clece wins tender for baggage handling at key Portuguese airports
The Clece/South consortium has won the tender for handling licenses at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports.
It has submitted the required documentation to the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), completing another step in the process to operate in Portugal, according to on-line news source ECO citing a source connected to the process. The regulator will now assess compliance with the requirements.
Among the documentation that the consortium had to submit are proof of professional experience and training of the workers to be assigned to the activity it proposed to carry out, employment documentation, mandatory insurance policies, equipment to be allocated to the operation, and respective (equipment/services).
It is now up to ANAC (National Civil Aviation Authority) to analyse the submitted documentation and verify the requirements for issuing handling licenses for baggage handling, cargo and mail handling, and ramp operations at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. ECO questioned the regulator about the process but is still awaiting a response.
These services are now provided by SPdH, 50.1% owned by the British company Menzies and 49.9% by TAP. This situation will remain in place, at least, until May 19th, when the new deadline approved by the Government expires.
Menzies has filed an injunction in the Lisbon Administrative and Tax Court to challenge the process of granting ground handling licenses carried out by ANAC. “This legal action aims to ensure that the process meets the necessary standards of technical rigor, operational realism and legal soundness before any final decision is made,” the company explains in a statement.
Clece is a service company belonging to the ACS group, led by Spanish businessman Florentino Pérez (president of Real Madrid). South belongs to the IAG group, one of the competitors in the privatization of TAP, and originated from Iberia’s handling business. It provides services to the group’s companies, including the Spanish airline.
The Aviation and Airport Workers’ Union (SITAVA) and the Aviation and Airport Handling Workers’ Union (STHAA) released a joint statement last Thursday stating that they proposed an agreement to the Spanish consortium that would allow the hiring of SPdH workers while maintaining their salary conditions, but “so far without success”.
Source: ECO Online; Credits: Clece.
