Airports and airlines service provider Menzies Aviation has agreed a majority stake in Cargo Handling Services Limited (CHS) at Sofia International Airport (SOF) in Bulgaria.

The joint venture expands Menzies Aviation’s presence in the Balkans and increases its footprint in Europe to 50 airports in 17 countries.

CHS was established in 2016 and provides a range of cargo services at SOF including warehousing, import and export handling, mail handling and temperature-controlled storage.

CHS will benefit from being part of Menzies’ global network and will transition to the Menzies brand and its best-in-class standards and systems.

Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson, executive vice president Europe at Menzies Aviation, said: “CHS is a well-regarded cargo provider at Sofia Airport, which has potential for significant growth.

“Strategically, this investment supports our ambitions to accelerate growth by expanding our air cargo business and entering emerging aviation markets. We’re looking forward to working with our new partners and, in the long-term, increasing our market share at Sofia Airport.”

Tim Buisseret, commercial director at the British Embassy Sofia, said: “We are delighted that Menzies Aviation has expanded their presence to Bulgaria, and we look forward to supporting them to develop their business.

“Bulgaria has great long-term prospects, Sofia is a key strategic location, and I’m sure that Menzies will succeed here.”

SOF is located 5km from the centre of Bulgaria’s capital and largest city, and is the biggest international airport in the country with scheduled connections to all major European business centres, serving 21 airlines.