Menzies warns Lisbon airport bottlenecks hurt Portugal’s image

Menzies Aviation chairman Hassan El-Houry told ECO that operational bottlenecks at Lisbon airport are hurting the passenger experience and risk damaging Portugal’s image with tourists, a sensitive issue for a country where air travel is a key gateway for visitors.

El-Houry said the constraints affect ground handling in much the same way as they affect the rest of the airport ecosystem. He pointed to long queues at check-in, security, passenger control and boarding gates, as well as the frequent use of remote stands, which add extra steps and waiting time for passengers. “All these bottlenecks make the passenger experience less satisfactory,” he said, adding that each one also raises the risk of delays that then spill over into Menzies’ own operation.

Menzies Portugal has 3,500 employees, including 2,500 in Lisbon, and has to schedule both staff and hundreds of pieces of equipment across the airport. El-Houry said the infrastructure is limited and argued there is no single party to blame, saying airport stakeholders and the government need to work together to find practical solutions.

He also said Menzies kept all of its airline customers during the uncertainty surrounding the tender for new ground handling licences at the airports of Lisbon, Porto and Faro. El-Houry said both workers and airline clients stayed with the company despite the lack of clarity over the licensing process, describing that as a sign of resilience under difficult conditions.

Originally published at Eco.pt