According to an order signed by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, published today in the Diário da República (Official Gazette), “the validity period of the licenses granted within the scope of the selection procedures for ground handling service providers […] at the Francisco Sá Carneiro (Porto), Gago Coutinho (Faro), and Humberto Delgado (Lisbon) airports […] is extended until May 19, 2026”.

The Government points to the need to “ensure the continuity of this service at the airports of Lisbon, Porto and Faro”, since the public tender launched by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) for the awarding of new licenses is still underway.

“Complexity”

“The complexity of the tender did not allow for a faster completion of the analysis of the proposals, in addition to it being a limited public tender with pre-qualification, composed of three distinct phases (submission of applications and qualification of candidates, submission of proposals and subsequently the awarding of licenses), which makes the selection procedure more time-consuming,” pointed out Miguel Pinto Luz.

Furthermore, he stressed that “reservations” were raised regarding the content of the preliminary report on the proposals, already issued, “and its reassessment has been requested from the tender jury, which is currently analysing this request”.

Following the awarding of the licenses, a transition period will follow, which includes the submission of qualification documents and verification of suitability requirements. The Government anticipates that the tender will be concluded after November 19th, the expiry date of the current handling licenses at those three airports.

In the preliminary tender report, to which Lusa had access, the jury led by Sofia Simões gave a score of 95.2523 to the Clece/South group, part of the Iberia group, and Menzies (formerly Groundforce), the current service provider, finished with a score of 93.0526.

"Menzies regrets this result and disagrees with the assigned score," the company stated, indicating that it believes its proposal "demonstrates proven operational excellence, continuity, and a fully qualified workforce of over 3,500 employees who have consistently provided high-security and high-quality services to clients and the community," the company said in a statement.