It was fascinating to hear the chief executive of Menzies Aviation reflect on how this business can trace its roots all the way back to a bookseller founded on Edinburgh’s Princes Street nearly 200 years ago.

Hassan El-Houry talked about a “remarkable evolution” from that business founded by John Menzies, in 1833, into "the largest aviation services company in the world".

He said: “It's an incredible story. It's a story of resilience. It's a story of evolution. It's a story of a local company going global. It's a story of old world and new world, right? Bookselling – it’s a 200-year-ago thing, so that whole evolution is just remarkable in my view.”

For decades, I covered the John Menzies business when it was a stock market-listed company, under its founder’s name.

John Menzies’ newspaper and magazine distribution arm was sold in 2018 to private equity firm Endless. John Menzies left the stock market in 2022 when what was by then a pure aviation services business was acquired by Kuwait-based Agility, which remains the owner.

During John Menzies’ decades as a company listed on the stock market, there were dramatic changes in the business.

People of a certain vintage will remember when John Menzies stores were among the main draws in town centres the length and breadth of Scotland, selling everything from the latest vinyl singles and albums through stationery to ZX81, ZX Spectrum, BBC and Atari computers. And the computer games that were loaded from cassette tapes.

This giant retail operation was sold to WH Smith in 1998.

John Menzies also owned the Early Learning Centre chain of children’s toy stores, before selling this business in 2001.

Returning to Menzies Aviation, as it is today, it was interesting to hear Mr El-Houry reflect on the challenges.

He identified airport infrastructure as a major challenge.

Mr El-Houry said: “Number one - definitely airport infrastructure is a challenge. And it has a knock-on effect on to so many other different parameters that are worthy of mention.

“Airport infrastructure is old and aged. Air traffic........

© Herald Scotland