Menzies Aviation has expanded its cargo operations in Australia with the opening of two new cargo facilities at North Queensland’s Cairns Airport and Melbourne Avalon Airport in Victoria.
Menzies Aviation Cairns is a joint venture (JV) between Menzies and local aviation service provider, AT Group. The new facility will be ready for international cargo handling in the first quarter of 2019.
Virgin Australia is the inaugural customer for the JV with eight scheduled flights per day and four freighters per week. Cairns is a key location for the airline, as it is the origin and final destination for their east coast freighter services.
This contract further extends the relationship between Virgin Australia and Menzies, which handles domestic cargo for the airline in the major Australian cities, with substantial volume through Menzies facilities.
The second Menzies cargo facility to open in Australia in 2018 is at Melbourne’s Avalon Airport, where Menzies is the cargo terminal’s sole operator. Menzies will service Air Asia X’s twice daily flight between Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne Avalon, following the relocation of the route from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport to Avalon. Air Asia X is the inaugural international airline to transport cargo at Avalon Airport.
In 2017, Menzies Aviation expanded its cargo service offerings with the acquisition of Gold Coast Air Terminal Services Pty Ltd in May and Farnair Handling Kft in November. The new cargo bases in Cairns and Melbourne means that Menzies’ global cargo network now totals over 30 facilities.
The opening of Menzies Aviation Cairns and Melbourne Avalon comes after a series of contract wins for Menzies in the Oceania region including ground handling contracts with Singapore Airlines on its Sydney-Singapore route, and with Malaysia Airlines in Brisbane, as announced in June.
Menzies chief executive officer, Forsyth Black said: “The launch of Menzies Aviation in both Cairns and Melbourne Avalon represents a significant step in strengthening our cargo service portfolio and network in the Oceania region.
“Leveraging relationships with key airline partners to build scale across our network is central to our cargo strategy, and we are delighted that Virgin Australia and Air Asia X have chosen us as their trusted cargo partner in such a crucial location for the airlines.
“Today’s news is testament to the hard work and high standards of our cargo handling team, and we look forward to delivering best in class cargo solutions for Virgin Australia, Air Asia X and future partners at our new facilities.”
