Cargo Strat director and lead consultant Steven Verhasselt will support airport operator Egis’s commercial cargo strategy under a long-term consultancy contract.
The contract begins 1 August, said Egis, an architecture, consulting, construction engineering and operating company. Also a specialist aviation consultant, it operates 20 airports around the world.
Egis has 20,500 employees operating across more than 100 countries.
For 15 years, as the gateway’s VP commercial Verhasselt looked after the commercial development of Belgium’s Liège Airport, with a focus on cargo as well as passenger traffic and real estate.
He also has extensive experience relating to airport operations in Hong Kong, South-East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, both in strategic consulting and commercial development.
Based in Belgium, Verhasselt will provide support for Egis to the airports of Ostend, Abidjan, Brazzaville and Pointe Noire as well as in Cyprus and then Cayenne when Egis’ operating contract there comes into effect on 1 October.
Belgian cargo hub Liege Airport last year reported a 15.6% year-on-year increase in cargo demand to 1.2m tonnes - it’s second busiest year on record.
The airport recently announced it would invest €500m in a "CargoLand" airfreight hub, which is expected to be fully completed by 2040.
The investent is expected to enable Liege to become one Europe’s top three cargo airports.
