Global GSA parent firm wins Maastricht Airport concession

The parent company of Global GSA has been awarded a ten year concession to take over operations of Maastricht Aachen Airport as it looks to expand freight volumes.
The Dutch airport announced yesterday that it had awarded the concession to Trade Centre Global Investments (TCGI), owner of Global GSA, as it felt it was the best qualified to expand airfreight and passenger operations.
In total, three companies bid for the concession, which has an extension option.
The Limburg Provincial Executive said: “[TCGI] a company which has been operating in the aviation industry for over 20 years and represents two of the three freight carriers that fly to MAA (Turkish en Royal Jordanian).
“TCGI has offices all round the world, including North America, Russia, Israel and Hong Kong.
“TCGI represents an international network of around 85 airlines. In addition, TCGI has a marketing concept that will enable MAA to increase its transport volumes (becoming the customer’s customer).”
Late last year, TCGI managing director Ismail Durmaz spoke to Air Cargo News about the logic of a company primarily known for its GSA activities taking over the operation of an airport.
“I don’t think any GSA in the world is trying to find an airport solution,” Durmaz said.
“We saw [Maastricht] as an opportunity. It’s not what we do every day but we have great infrastructure in our network airlines and we know all the forwarders and we would like to come with solutions to freighter carriers and also the passenger side.”
Durmaz was explaining how the company was looking to differentiate itself in the GSA market by offering value added and unique services.
The company is innovating in other ways. It has also started selling space on the bellyhold of intra-Russian passenger airlines through its Russian division FF Cargo Services.
This is all done on the same air waybill in a similar way to the virtual cargo airline model of Leisure Cargo.