GLOBAL GSA GROUP: SUCCESS ON A WORLD STAGE

In a world where customers can vote with their feet and cease to do business with companies that do not come up to standard, Global GSA Group is obviously doing something right for its airline customers.

Ismail Durmaz, CEO of Global GSA Group is proud that he and his team have accomplished the creation of a business that keeps is customers satisfied over the long-term. He says: “We are proud to say that thanks to our dedication, our first customer is also our oldest, since 1995. China Southern Airlines has thus pledged its confidence in us, testifying to the fact that Global GSA is a reliable partner. As for our most recent contract, it is with the Challenge Airlines. We have other exciting contracts in the pipeline that we will announce soon.

Global GSA Group was founded in 1995 in Amsterdam as the first independent cargo General Sales Agent (GSA). He recalls: “Pre-1995, GSA services had been offered for a long time in the Netherlands, but were mainly departments or subsidiaries with connection to the major forwarders or handling agents. As such, Global GSA Group was the first independent GSA in the country.

“In a market that has continued to evolve and become more complex, airlines need partners with solid local market knowledge. Global GSA Group provides that. In addition, not all carriers have local offices to call upon and even then, when a GSA is assigned to represent a carrier in a specific region, agents are not allowed to book directly with the carrier.

“Beyond our local market knowledge, we offer better customer service at a time when many companies are willing to outsource the sale of their capacity to better focus on other issues that the current economic situation brings.”

Staff are true assets

Like many employers in the aviation world, Durmaz and his HR team must find, attract and retain the staff that will keep the business going. He says: “Our main goal in this regard is to be an employer that respects the efforts of its employees. They are our true assets, and we keep investing in better working conditions in all ways. We strive to create a familiar environment where the team is more than colleagues to each other. This is done by organising regular team events and creating a joyful work environment. We grant them the freedom to enjoy their time and support them doing this. And we are proud to see that when the time comes to perform, they know their responsibilities and take initiatives. This makes it easier to attract new personnel and maintain the current one.”

With a cost of living crisis in many markets, Russian sanctions, war in Ukraine and inflation in many parts of the world, is Global GSA Group seeing any drop in airfreight volumes being booked through its client airlines?

Durmaz considers: “There is definitely a drop in volumes, mainly over the last months. Many carriers have anticipated a market recovery and have implemented additional capacity. Furthermore, the financial success generated by the pandemic crisis has attracted new players to the market. Most of the leading sea freight operators have invested significantly in the air freight industry by establishing new freighter carriers with large fleets.

“All this new capacity, along with the continuing war and even Covid still affecting the main Asian countries, has resulted in the status quo. Not to forget that this has affected the sea freight market even more, resulting in extremely low container rates. This in turn affects the air cargo industry as potential cargo is shifting to sea freight options.

“There are some specific airlines that we seek to represent. Due to potential conflicts of interests, we are cautious when adding new carriers to our portfolio. Therefore, we carefully seek carriers with specific regional coverage that would be of great value, knowing that our expansion plans for 2023 are focused on the Americas and Southeast Asia.

Cutting-edge technology solutions

Durmaz concludes with his ideas on how his business can remain at the forefront of the GSA industry and continue its success on the world stage.

He says: “In these uncertain times, we remain convinced that developing cutting-edge technology solutions will have a direct impact on our efficiency and our ability to provide customers the best services. In that respect, we have chosen to boost our investments in digital transformation, as it will be essential to meet the challenges of the coming year.

“Indeed, digitisation allows not only greater transparency but also greater agility with faster responses in an increasingly volatile market. We are therefore continuing to invest in this area, in particular by taking advantage of the solutions developed by CargoTech.

“Whether it is for booking, capacity and revenue optimisation or pricing decisions, the solutions we use have already proven to be particularly insightful for us and our partners, enabling better performance. Recently, we have started with CargoTech to adapt the available tools to our specific needs.”