Watch Now


LAX to lease cargo facility to Alliance Ground International

Ground handling company displaces Menzies Aviation, Mexican freighter operator

Los Angeles International Airport has a multitude of cargo buildings operated by various companies, such as Alliance Ground International, that provide loading, unloading and transfer services for airlines. (Photo: Shutterstock/John McAdorey)

Alliance Ground International, the largest American-owned cargo handling agent for airlines, says it has won a competitive selection process to operate its first directly controlled warehouse at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The five-year lease is expected to be approved by the board of airport commissioners within the next several weeks, allowing AGI to move into the facility on Nov. 1.

The cargo terminal is currently leased to United Airlines, which has not used the property for a long time and subleased it to airport service provider Menzies Aviation and Mexico-based AeroCharter, according to the airport authority and United. The current lease expires Oct. 31.

Los Angeles World Airports declined to provide details on the new lease arrangement, because it has yet to be placed on the board’s agenda for a vote. 

Miami-based Alliance Ground International beat out Menzies, AeroCharter, Cargo HS LLC, and global ground handling giants Swissport and Worldwide Flight Services, according to the list of bidders. AeroCharter provides cargo and aircraft services for sister airline AeroUnion and Chile-based partner Avianca. 


AGI currently operates at six other cargo facilities at LAX with more than 500 employees, but those warehouses are subleased from other airport tenants. The new addition on West Imperial Highway will be AGI’s first direct lease with the airport authority, said Sarah Andrews, vice president of marketing, communications and government relations. 

Having direct control of the warehouse property will allow AGI to invest in more infrastructure and systems, enabling enhanced service for airline customers, she explained in a brief interview. Among the features to be introduced are charging stations for electric ground support equipment, AI-enhanced camera systems and digital technology from CargoSprint that enables truck drivers to manage pickup schedules from a phone without having to check in at the front counter, reducing wait times and emissions from idling trucks. Truck drivers have decreased processing time by 18 minutes at LAX since in-person transactions at LAX stations were eliminated earlier this year, according to the company.

AGI provides cargo, passenger and aircraft support services in 62 cities across the United States and Canada. It is owned by Audax Group and Greenbriar Equity Group.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper articles by Eric Kulisch.


Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

Atlas Air to invest in Anchorage base expansion as e-commerce surges

Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com