Paris-headquartered ECS
Group Chairman and CEO Bertrand Schmoll loves the Indian market.
“It is one of the best in the world,”
he exclaimed as ACNFT caught up with him during his recent visit to
Delhi.
It turns out the CEO of the GSSA makes
quarterly trips to India and has witnessed the changes taking place
in infrastructure at both big and small airports around the country.
Hands On
Bertrand
“You have all the tools to become
the key market in the world,” Bertrand Schmoll said.
“Here is an influential population
that is increasing.
“But only a small part of that population
is flying today,” he said.
That is what he is optimistic about, because
the numbers are surely going to go up in the future.
Add to that the number of low-cost carriers that are developing.
“The country is changing…
the number of aircraft is rising and that is good for cargo,”
proclaims Mr. Schmoll.
Deal With
Air Asia
Upbeat about the tie-up with AirAsia India,
Mr. Schmoll mentioned that ECS was “very happy with the partnership.
“AirAsia is a growing airline. They
have five aircraft that will increase to eight. They are seeing growth
in terms of passengers.
“As we continue our partnership
on a long-term basis, they will benefit since cargo adds additional
revenues.
“It is a perfect partnership for
us,” the CEO said.
It was around this time last year that
AirAsia India appointed Global Air Cargo India (with Rajendra Dubey
as Country Manager), part of the ECS Group, to manage its cargo sales.
At that time, Mittu Chandilya, CEO AirAsia
India, said that the carrier had “left it to experts to handle
cargo while we will concentrate on the passenger side, which we know
better.”
AirAsia India is one of the few low-cost
carriers to have its total cargo operations managed by the ECS Group.
The GSSA has been able to deliver according
to AirAsia India’s expectations because the business model followed
is custom made where, for example, the fast turnaround times at airports
have been factored.
The carrier demands no delays due to loading
and unloading of cargo.
Today, the tie-up with AirAsia India has
provided the global GSSA the opportunity to offer services to its clients—ECS
handles Saudia, Tiger Airways, and even Etihad—around the subcontinent.
For instance, currently Saudia in the
U.S. can move cargo to Indian airports served by AirAsia India.
It is the same with cargo from India.
The other airlines ECS serves from India
with global GSSA agreements are Brussels Airlines, Ukraine International
Airlines, and Camair.
To serve AirAsia India and its other clients—“We
are always looking for other carriers,” Schmoll said—ECS
has set up its own offices.
“Now we have more than 120 employees
operating from 19 cities in India,” he said. The CEO, however,
was quick to point out that the number of offices or employees was “not
significant when compared with the size of the country.”
Even so, Mr. Schmoll considered “India
to be one of the best successes of the group and we did not buy anything.
“We created everything from scratch
and I think after 3-4 years this development (19 offices and 120+ staff)
is an achievement,” he said.
ECS Growth
Patterns
ECS Group’s expansion in India,
despite the region’s inherent infrastructural woes, is not surprising.
According to recent air cargo figures, GSSAs have taken a major share
of the market: more than 20 percent of worldwide revenues were generated
through sales under GSSA agreements.
ACNFT asked Mr. Schmoll for the
reasons behind this growth.
“It was important,” he said,
“to maintain high standards of service.
“Airlines want more dedicated services
today.
“They want more commitments from
our side.
“The thinking in many carriers underwent
a change: cargo,” said Schmoll, “is more important for them
than in the past.
“Therefore, they are expecting more
from us—they are expecting more ideas from us not only about how
to increase tonnage, but also yields.”
“These carriers not only want GSSAs
to sell point-to-point cargo, but also to a larger network or destinations
with better yields—in short everything that can increase their
revenues,” Mr. Schmoll declared.
“As for ECS: We have proved that
we are able to bring solutions to airlines and ideas that increase their
revenues.
“We are well positioned to answer
to these new challenges,” emphasized the CEO.
Tirthankar Ghosh
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