Netherlands-based Global GSA Group has signed a three-year agreement with Australian carrier Qantas to become Qantas Freight's GSA in Europe.
The agreement will pair Qantas' services from Rome and Paris with Global GSA Group’s interline connections.
During summer in Europe, Qantas offers belly capacity on Boeing 787-9 services from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO) three times a week. FCO-Perth (PER)-Sydney (SYD) services are set to commence on 15 June and end for the season on 3 October.
The Australian carrier also offers year-round services from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). This comprises three CDG-PER-SYD flights a week served by 787-9 aircraft, providing a weekly cargo uplift of around 45 tonnes.
From PER, Qantas offers multiple onward connections to Melbourne (MEL) and Brisbane (BNE), while SYD feeds into key ports like Aukland (AKL), Nouméa (NOU), New Caledonia and more.
Global GSA Group will assist in implementing and developing Qantas’ cargo expansion plans for mainland Europe over the next three years, with the aim of providing freight forwarders with an efficient and flexible mix of direct flights and interline opportunities.
Global GSA Group chief executive Aytekin Saray, who began his current role last month, and Qantas Freight head of global sales and customer Mallory Logan signed the GSA agreement.
“As the only Australian carrier providing direct services from two European ports to Australia with connections to broader Oceania destinations, Qantas offers a huge network of opportunity for European freight forwarders to reach domestic and international destinations within Oceania,” said Saray.
“Global GSA Group looks forward to supporting Qantas as it expands its cargo offerings from Europe, leveraging our solid presence on this continent to provide a broad and long-term cargo network and increased online operations for the region.”
Igor Kwiatkowski, executive manager of Qantas Freight, added: “We are thrilled to partner with an experienced GSA like Global GSA Group to offer our customers more efficient and flexible air freight services from Europe.
"This strategic partnership allows us to make the most of cargo network in the region and make it easier for freight forwarders to access our capacity from Europe to Australia and meet continued global e-commerce demand.”
Last month, Global GSA Group subsidiary Mondial Airline Services won a general sales agent (GSA) tender to represent Coyne Airways across Germany.
