Menzies plans $12m Dhaka airport investment if selected as 2nd ground handler

UK-based aviation services company Menzies Aviation plans to invest $12 million in the first year if it is selected as the second passenger handling operator at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's Terminal 3 (T3). 

According to the company, the investment would create more than 1,000 direct jobs in the first year. It could also generate more than 4,500 indirect employment opportunities through the supply chain and local economy.

Menzies Aviation outlined its investment and employment plans at a press conference held at a hotel in Dhaka on Thursday. Speakers included John Henderson, the company's senior vice president (operations) for the Middle East and Africa; Charles Willey, executive vice president for the Middle East, Africa and Asia; and Sakib Ershad, trade and investment director at the British High Commission in Dhaka.

Menzies said that if given the opportunity to provide passenger handling services at Terminal 3, its investment would not be limited to airport operations. The company would also focus on developing skilled human resources and strengthening local capacity in Bangladesh's aviation sector. To this end, it plans to establish a 'Menzies Training Academy' in Dhaka.

The company said the academy would provide international-standard aviation training while creating opportunities for Bangladeshi citizens to build long-term careers. It also plans to launch training, internship and graduate pathway programmes jointly with universities, colleges and other educational institutions.

Menzies officials said these initiatives would create opportunities to transfer knowledge and skills from the international aviation sector to Bangladesh. This would enhance the operational, technical and managerial skills of local workers and could also create opportunities for Bangladeshi employees to work in the international aviation sector.

Menzies also considers the local supply chain part of its investment plan. The company plans to have uniforms for its employees made and sourced locally. It said this could create new business opportunities for Bangladesh's textile and apparel sector.

Asked by journalists whether geopolitical or political considerations would influence the selection of the second passenger handling operator at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's Terminal 3, Sakib Ershad, trade and investment director at the British High Commission, said they were hopeful that the selection process would be based not on geopolitical influence but on open and fair competition.

Several international companies, including Menzies, Çelebi, dnata, Swissport and SATS, are reportedly interested in becoming the second passenger handling operator at Terminal 3.

Menzies officials said that through investment in Bangladesh, the company would focus on strengthening expertise and capacity in the aviation sector, as well as creating local employment, developing leadership and facilitating long-term knowledge transfer. They said such initiatives could contribute to further expanding trade and investment relations between the UK and Bangladesh.