ECS Group protects market share in challenging times

Despite the market falling at double digit rates, BCS Air has been able to maintain its market share, managing director João Ferreira tells Air Cargo Week. He says both imports and exports have fallen at double-digit rates, with the former affected by political and economic transition, which should resolve itself, and the latter due to […]

ECS Group welcomes Wexco to the family

Wexco, a major player in the Australasian GSSA market has joined ECS Group, strengthening its network in Asia Pacific. Founded in Australia in 1979 and extending into New Zealand in 2003, Wexco has a strong presence in the Australasian market, which ECS Group says was a crucial factor to make the acquisition. Bertrand Schmoll, chairman […]

Professional service, the Italian way

After two years of outstanding growth, Cismat will not let standards slip, CEO Francesco Traverso tells Air Cargo Week. He says that 2017 was an “outstanding year” and that 2018 was “even better” with growth of 24%. Growth was very strong from the last quarter of 2016 for the whole air cargo industry, continuing throughout […]

Air Logistics Group builds on strengths after 25 years

In its 25th anniversary year, Stephen Dawkins, chief executive officer of UK-based Air Logistics Group (ALG) is in a position to examine the prospects for the wider GSA industry and where his business sits in the industry. He says: “The wider GSA industry continues to grow in a very positive direction as it has done […]

25 years of success for Air Logistics Group

Air Logistics Group is entering its 25th year in the air cargo industry, having grown dramatically since it was founded in 1994. The team consists of over 230 airfreight professionals spanning 88 offices in 48 countries, making it one of the largest and most recognisable GSSAs in the world. It has over half a billion […]

Positive growth throughout Asia Pacific

For Air Logistics Group (ALG), South East Asia remains a good place to do business. The GSSA has been enjoying bullish growth in the region, explains ALG CEO Stephen Dawkins. He says: “Our performance in South East Asia so far in 2018 has continued to show consistent year-on-year improvements against 2017 which was an exceptional […]

Finnair Cargo picks Air Logistics Group as GSSA for China

Finnair Cargo has appointed Air Logistics China as its general sales and service agent (GSSA) in Mainland China. The Air Logistics Group company started working with Finnair Cargo in Nanjing on 1 August, and the agreement in Guangzhou, Xi’an and Chongqing will be effective from 1 September. Finnair Cargo sales director for Asia, Tomi Asikainen […]

Outsourcing and consolidation is the future

Where once cautiousness in outsourcing business prevailed among carriers and a high degree of fragmentation were hallmarks of the GSSA industry, times have changed according to industry players, Donald Urquhart reports. “Now more than ever,” airlines see outsourcing of cargo as a sensible option in terms of cost saving and incremental revenue, says Air Logistics […]

Finnair Cargo picks Inter Aviation Services as GSSA for Belgium

Finnair Cargo has appointed Inter Aviation Services (IAS) as its general sales and service agent (GSSA) in Belgium. The GSSA agreement takes effect from 1 June 2018 and IAS will provide full cargo sales, marketing, customer service, administration and operational support. Finnair Cargo sales director for Europe, Anja Poyhonen says: “I’m pleased to announce the […]

Ukraine Airlines picks ECS as exclusive GSSA for India

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has chosen ECS Globe Air Cargo India as its exclusive GSSA in India. ECS Group’s Indian branch office has been supporting UIA throughout the Indian sub-continent following the airline starting flights between Kiev Boryspil Airport and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on 1 May. The airline is operating three flights a […]

ECS Group expands with partnership between GAC and IAG Cargo

ECS Group is further expanding its international presence with a partnership between Globe Air Cargo NL and IAG Cargo. Globe Air Cargo NL (GAC NL), a major player in the Dutch GSA market and member of ECS Group, has forged an operative partnership with IAG Cargo to expand and optimise its service for freight customers. […]

Air Logistics Group finds growth all over the globe

Air Logistics Group had an exceptional year in 2017 and chief operating officer, Stephen Dawkins says things are unlikely to slowdown any time soon. The general sales and service agent (GSSA) has a network of 88 offices in 48 countries, stretching across six continents, giving the company an impressive reach. Dawkins says that all regions […]

ECS Group picks up Middle East Airlines deal in Paris

Middle East Airlines (MEA) has picked ECS Group as its general sales and service agent at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, its European hub. ECS Group will support MEA with sales and operative services, with European markets offering volumes of diverse commodities to be shipped to Beirut including perishables, flowers, cosmetics, fashion and general cargo. […]

Saudia Cargo picks ATC as its GSSA for South Africa

Saudia Cargo has appointed ATC Aviation Services as its general sales and service agent for South Africa from 1 May 2018. The Saudi Arabian airline provides airfreight services to more than 230 destinations and its freighter fleet consists of Boeing 747-8s, 747-400ERFs, 747-400BCFs and 777Fs, in addition to belly capacity in passenger aircraft. The carrier […]

HAE Group is more than a GSA

With investments in technology, field sales teams and interaction on social media, HAE Group views itself as a GSA plus, according to director for UK & Ireland John Ward (pictured). HAE Group experienced very strong growth in 2017, up 18 per cent on 2016 with new contracts in the Middle East, Africa, the UK and […]

ECS Group breaks records in Asia

The Asian market is booming for ECS Group helped by major contracts with important players in the region, chief executive officer Adrien Thominet (pictured) tells Air Cargo Week. India in particular had a record year because ECS handles Saudia Cargo, which operates to 18 destinations in the country. Thominet says ECS is the largest organisation […]

ATC Aviation strives to remain a modern company

The whole air cargo industry had a very strong year in 2017, but ATC Aviation managed to beat that by having what chief executive officer Ingo Zimmer (pictured) describes as a “perfect year”. Not only did ATC benefit from increasing yields and strong demand, particularly in November and December where there was a lack of […]

Air Namibia picks Strike Aviation as cargo GSSA for the EU and UK

Air Namibia has awarded Strike Aviation Group the cargo GSSA contract for the European Union and the United Kingdom. The Namibian flag carrier operates daily flights between Frankfurt and Windhoek using an Airbus A330-200 with a capacity of 12 tonnes. Strike Aviation president, Frank Ziesemer says: “We are very proud to become the Cargo Representative […]

Finnair Cargo appoints R-BAG as GSSA for five European countries

Finnair Cargo has appointed R-BAG Group as its general sales and service agent (GSSA) for five central European countries. From 1 May 2018, R-BAG will provide cargo sales, marketing, customer service, administration and operational support across Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria. The airline says the agreement is a timely development as Finnair […]

60 seconds with ATC Aviation’s Ingo Zimmer

ACW: Your mission is to be the leading cargo GSSA in the world. Have you achieved that and how do you intend to keep that position? Zimmer: With over €350m in managed airline revenues per year, we have journeyed a long way down that road. In terms of quality we see ourselves as standing apart […]

Goodman GLS joins 1GSA network as member for Korea

The independent GSA network, 1GSA continues to grow with the appointment of Goodman GLS as its exclusive member for Korea. The Goodman GLS GSSA business was launched in 2014 and represents Westjet, Cubana and the Leisure Cargo portfolio of 14 airlines, providing access to destinations throughout Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Middle East and Africa. It […]

Opportunities arising for ECS Group to reinvent itself

As the airfreight industry continues to grow, ECS Group chief executive officer, Adrien Thominet (pictured) sees a great opportunity to reinvent itself. In 2017 ECS noted a “nice increase” of freight volumes, mostly driven by pharmaceuticals and e-commerce, while demand was increasing faster than capacity, which helped yields. Several indicators confirm that exports, particularly for […]

ECS Group creates synergies in the Americas

ECS Group is investing heavily in the Americas, expanding its presence across countries in the region, chief executive officer Adrien Thominet tells Air Cargo Week. Speaking at the Air & Sea Cargo Americas conference on 2 November, he explained that ECS has invested in six South American countries organically and has acquired Canadian firm, Exp-Air. […]

New offices and contracts help AIA grow

Airbridge International Agencies (AIA) has had a strong year with tonnage growing 25 per cent due to new offices and carrier contracts, says chief executive officer Mark Andrew. The company has opened offices in Cyprus, gained Thomas Cook and Cobalt Air and existing clients have been performing well, including China Southern Airlines, which added a […]

The good times keep rolling for Air Logistics Group

There has been an upsurge in business in 2017 since the confirmation of Brexit and the appointment of a new US president, and Air Logistics Group is expecting double-digit growth, chief operating officer Stephen Dawkins says. He says it is anticipating tonnage to rise 25 per cent in 2017 followed by 12 per cent in […]

Investments paying off for ECS as it evolves its business

The ECS Group has arguably been the most active of general sales and service agents (GSSA) this year widening its network and taking stakes in various companies. These have included taking a majority stake in the AVS GSA Group, new carrier contracts with Jetstar Asia and Finnair Cargo, and airlines in other regions and partnering […]

1GSA aiming for 50 members within a year

1GSA is aiming to have 50 members within a year giving smaller general sales and service agents (GSSA) a chance to take on larger companies, according to president David Lee. He says there are many good, hard-working independent GSSAs around the world but they are struggling against the bigger companies who dominate the market. They […]

Innovation the way forward

New technology and innovation is essential and the only way forward is to embrace the future, according to ECS Group chief executive officer, Adrien Thominet. He believes that companies must embrace digitalisation, disruption, e-business, revenue management, and feel at home using the “cloud” to remain successful into the future, saying: “We have no choice other […]

HAE focusing on emerging markets

HAE Group is focusing on ventures in emerging markets, areas that it has seen strong growth so far in 2017, managing director Colin White (pictured) tells Air Cargo Week. He says business has been stable in traditional markets but emerging markets such as Brazil, the Middle East and Africa have seen growth, and HAE is […]

New US president and Brexit confirmation help business

Following the confirmation of Brexit and the appointment of the new US president, Air Logistics Group has seen an upsurge in business, chief operating officer Stephen Dawkins (pictured) tells Air Cargo Week. He says like all businesses in the cargo field, 2017 saw a surge in business, and pressures on the Euro and UK Pound […]