John Menzies has announced that it has agreed a £3.4m investment to acquire a minority equity stake, by way of a joint venture, in Guangzhou JFreight Aviation Logistics Supply Chain Co.

The joint venture will see Menzies manage and operate a new cargo terminal at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China, one of the world’s busiest airports, on behalf of the shareholders of JFreight.

JFreight is experienced in artificial intelligence and robotics and has used its technical skills to create a smart terminal with an electronic interaction point with Chinese customs.

The terminal has capacity to handle 120,000 tonnes annually. It is envisaged that Menzies’ initial focus will be on the handling of product related to the fast growing Chinese e-Commerce market with the potential to expand into more general air cargo handling for airlines in the future.