US ground handler Alliance Ground International (AGI) is planning to expand its air cargo operations into Europe through acquisitions.
AGI originally announced its ambitions to move into Europe in 2022 during the pandemic cargo boom, but planned to wait until the market had normalised before executing its plans.
Speaking to Air Cargo News at Air Cargo Europe, chief executive Jared Azcuy said that AGI recognised the high demand and rates during the pandemic might provide a false sense of security and had wanted to wait until the air cargo market had normalised to see what true operating conditions would be.
However, he said the subsequent challenges in Europe's air cargo market with the Ukraine-Russia war and the Red Sea conflict saw it further delay its plans.
Now, the company is confident that this is the right time to move into the European cargo market, and it is actively seeking to acquire European companies.
"Europe did go through a bit of a slump, so it did delay our plans into Europe. But we've made a great short list of the companies we want to engage with, which we intend on executing later this year," said Azcuy.
AGi has been working with ex-Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) chief executive and industry consultant Olivier Bijaoui since 2022 to refine its entry into the European market.
Azcuy said AGI is also planning to expand into Canada and South America.
In the US, AGI has acquired MIC Cargo (Maestro), Total Airport Services (TAS) and Airport Terminal Services (ATS) since 2021.
