Air Logistics Ltd, the UK division of the Sales and Service partner Air Logistics Group, is the first organisation to be appointed world wide as an IATA General Sales and Service Agent (GSSA) under a new programme recently launched by IATA.

‘The IATA brand is one of the strongest in the cargo industry, it carries the weight of more than fifty years of service to the Air Transport Industry,’ comments the founder of Air Logistics Stephen Dawkins. ‘This is a fantastic achievement for the Directors of the Company, our Airline Partners and especially our staff who have made a major contribution to achieving this accreditation in probably the most difficult 2 years in Aviation History’.

IATA and the airline industry have always appreciated the valuable role provided by GSAs who achieve cost-effective presence in a market where it may have been uneconomic for an airline to maintain its own sales force and premises. The role of the GSA has evolved to the extent that it is no longer simply a sales office; increasingly it performs a wider range of duties for its airline Principal(s). IATA is aware of the importance of the GSA’s contribution to a successful Cargo Industry and therefore it has created a recognition award process, which enabled GSSA’s to attain an IATA certification.

Colin Stevenson, IATA’s Director Cargo, responsible for cargo operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa comments, ‘In a complex world of logistical solutions, today’s GSSA’s have brought innovative engineering to the Cargo industry of modern times. With today’s global economic shifts, the GSSA’s value is perceived in their ability to adapt quickly to market changes. Branching out into many intricate avenues, they play a key role for many airlines, which, for economic and or expanding operations purposes, outsource their total cargo activity to a GSSA’.
‘The IATA GSSA accreditation programme is designed to expand business recognition of GSSA’s across the globe. The key focus of the programme is to enhance the role and reputation of GSSAs. It is a credit to Air Logistics Ltd. in the UK that they have become the first organisation in the world to meet the IATA criteria and be appointed an IATA GSSA,’ he concludes.

Air Logistics Ltd. was founded in 1994 and has established itself as a key sales and service partner within the UK Cargo Industry to carriers such as US Airways, Lanchile, CAL Cargo Airlines, Air Zimbabwe and Ethiopian Airlines.

‘Since establishment of the Company we have continued to strive to provide a high quality of service, not only to our airline partners but also to our freight forwarding clients on behalf of the airlines we represent,’ comments Dawkins, ‘IATA accreditation enforces our continued commitment to maintaining the highest levels of service’.

The recognition of Air Logistics Ltd. comes at a time amidst rapidly changing attitudes amongst airlines towards outsourcing to specialists. Economies of scale and unified standards with IT based management solutions, are more likely to be core functions in a third party GSSA Company than within airlines that are continually looking for ways to reduce costs.‘The internationally accepted IATA logo brings distinction and professional recognition and it will enhance our Company’s image to prospective clients,’ concludes Dawkins.