British ground-handler, Menzies Aviation, which serviced Windhoek Hosea Kutako International (WDH) for just under a decade, has had to leave the airport following the Namibian High Court’s decision to reject its appeal for access to the airport.
This appears to be the conclusion to a long and drawn-out series of court battles that began when Menzies disputed the appointment of a local ground-handler, Paragon. What could well be the end of the road came on September 1, when Judge Hannelie Prinsloo dismissed an appeal by Menzies Aviation Namibia against its sudden eviction from WDH by the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) on August 19. Prinsloo ruled that Menzies had no legal right to continue occupying NAC premises at WDH, reported simpleflying.com.
According to Menzies, it had been providing ground-handling services at WDH under a new agreement with the NAC since June 2022. Following its eviction, the company launched an appeal in the High Court to regain access to the airport and resume servicing its airline customers.
Menzies continued to be denied access to the airport, while awaiting the ruling, as new ground-handling service provider, Paragon, took over. Paragon Aviation Services was the successful candidate when bids were invited prior to Menzies’ contract termination in 2022.
A recent ruling confirmed the NAC’s right to enforce previous verdicts made by the High Court in June 2022 and the Supreme Court in June 2023, which led to the overnight eviction of the ground-handler last month. Although the overnight switch was meant to be seamless, the changeover led to several flight disruptions see here.
Paragon faced criticism from Airlink and Qatar Airways, when the two airlines suspended all cargo operations at WDH, due to queries regarding the ground handler’s safety certifications. According to simpleflying.com, Airlink held talks with the new ground-handler, resumed its cargo operations on August 29 and deployed a team of personnel to assist Paragon staff familiarise themselves with the airline’s cargo-handling process. Paragon has since successfully handled cargo for multiple airlines including, Airlink, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways and TAAG Angola Airlines.
The conflict between Menzies and the NAC is not over. Menzies has requested permission to collect its clients’ cargo from its warehouse and lost luggage from its baggage enquiry office. When NAC denied the application, Menzies asked its customers to request that the NAC allow Menzies to access WDH to complete its cargo distribution. Menzies said it would not hand over cargo to the NAC or Paragon as releasing the cargo would require specific procedures and data entry, which can only be completed by the ground-handler.
