An aircraft’s cargo hold may sit beneath the passenger cabin, but the revenue potential it represents is increasingly moving to the centre of airline strategy. Turning available capacity into consistent commercial performance requires far more than sales. It depends on market expertise, operational control, digital intelligence and specialist knowledge.
That is the space AERION is positioning itself to occupy. The new commercial platform brings together ECS Group, Global GSA Group, TCE, CargoTech, Mail and More, HealthC’Air and Squair, with the objective of helping airlines maximise cargo revenue while accessing a broad range of expertise through a single relationship.
The platform covers airline representation and sales, total cargo management, digital procurement, revenue optimisation, pharmaceutical and temperature-sensitive logistics, postal and ecommerce activities, back-office processing, charter operations and marketing.
For airlines, the model is designed to provide specialist capabilities without requiring them to establish extensive in-house teams or overseas infrastructure.
Adrien Thominet, Chairman of the holding company behind ECS Group, Global GSA Group, TCE, CargoTech, Mail and More and HealthC’Air, and Founder of AERION, describes the platform as the result of a strategy developed over several years.
“Air cargo is evolving, and airlines need partners who can support every part of their growth. Airlines need more than cargo sales. They need partners who understand how commercial decisions, operational discipline and digital intelligence work together to produce sustainable returns,” Thominet said.
He added that the next stage of air cargo development will favour companies capable of connecting expertise across markets, anticipating customer requirements and turning dependable data into effective commercial decisions.
“AERION brings that thinking together. Our role is to help airlines build stronger cargo businesses with the specialist skills, technology and commercial reach growth demands,” he said.
Bringing complementary expertise together
The concept behind AERION is based on the complementary nature of its constituent businesses. Each company addresses a particular challenge within air cargo, while the combined structure is intended to connect commercial opportunities with the operational capabilities required to deliver them.
“For several years, our group has had one clear goal: to become a fully integrated commercial partner for airlines, with services that cover the whole cargo value chain,” Thominet said.
ECS Group provides the foundation of the organisation, drawing on its long-standing expertise as a general sales and service agency. Its model connects airline capacity with freight forwarder demand through local market relationships and an international network.
That network has expanded through acquisitions and market development, bringing established businesses and their customer knowledge into a wider organisation. Airlines can therefore access established commercial expertise without having to create a large overseas sales infrastructure of their own.
Global GSA Group adds another significant layer of airline representation. Established in Amsterdam in 1995, the company combines local commercial relationships with centrally coordinated support.
Its teams have dedicated expertise across specialist cargo segments including live animals, healthcare, e-commerce and express, as well as perishables. Its activities also extend beyond sales, covering marketing, administration, operations and the management of ground handling and road feeder suppliers.
The approach is designed to maintain each airline’s identity while providing the specialist expertise needed to expand its business across different markets.
Total Cargo Management expands the scope
For airlines looking to outsource a broader range of cargo activities, TCE forms an important part of AERION’s Total Cargo Management proposition.
Its teams can assume responsibility for network operations, quality, safety, security, interline management, marketing, revenue optimisation, claims and charter activities.
This responsibility is backed by specialist operational capabilities including audits, risk assessments, operating standards, ground handling oversight, customs reporting and trucking arrangements.
On-site supervision also provides airlines with a direct and informed presence at cargo handling locations.
According to Thominet, the group currently manages complete cargo activities for more than 10 airlines, illustrating the level of operational responsibility it is already able to undertake.
Technology becomes a commercial connector
Digital capabilities represent another important element of the AERION model. Following investment in digital activities since 2018, CargoTech brings together complementary businesses designed to address different commercial and operational challenges.
CargoAI supports digital airfreight procurement, while Wiremind Cargo focuses on inventory, reservations, capacity, pricing and revenue optimisation.
Rotate combines market data, analytics and software to support better commercial decision-making. Aerios, meanwhile, focuses on integrating charter operations and communications into a coordinated digital workflow.
Together, these capabilities are intended to give airlines greater access to the technology and data required to make faster and more informed cargo decisions.
Specialist services for pharmaceutical and temperature-sensitive cargo
HealthC’Air addresses another highly specialised area of the market: pharmaceutical and temperature-sensitive cargo.
Its services cover consultancy, auditing, training, process alignment, certification support and shipment management. Led by Global Director Pharma Yulia Celetaria, the business provides different levels of support, allowing airlines to develop capabilities according to their individual ambitions.
The objective is not simply to create a pharmaceutical product, but to build a credible service supported by the operational discipline required to handle sensitive cargo reliably.
Dedicated expertise for mail and ecommerce
Mail and More brings specialist postal expertise to the platform, with a focus on mail and e-commerce traffic.
Its proposition combines commercial representation, product development and electronic data exchange capabilities. Its team brings experience of the networks and technical requirements associated with this segment, enabling airlines to approach postal and ecommerce flows through a service specifically designed around their needs.
Back-office processing supports the revenue cycle
Squair addresses a less visible but essential part of the cargo business: the administrative processes that support revenue generation.
Its back-office services include air waybill verification, data capture, sales report checks and invoicing.
By centralising these activities, airlines can potentially reduce administrative costs, billing disputes and correction work while allowing commercial teams to devote more time to business development.
Marketing and promotion provide another component of the model, helping airline partners communicate their capabilities and turn their cargo propositions into commercially compelling offers.
“All these capabilities now come together under AERION, the commercial brand of our Group holding,” Thominet said.
One relationship for multiple cargo requirements
For airline management, the principal proposition is the ability to access a much wider range of expertise through one coordinated relationship.
Whether an airline is entering a new market, developing a pharmaceutical product, pursuing a charter opportunity, improving revenue management or outsourcing operational activities, AERION aims to connect it with the appropriate specialist within the wider group.
“AERION gives airlines one single platform to access all of our expertise. It goes well beyond cargo sales and representation to offer a complete, connected approach to cargo performance,” Thominet said.
