ECS Group subsidiaries appointed GSSAs for PLAY Airlines

ECS Group subsidiaries, Globe Air Cargo France and Nordic GSA in Denmark, have secured the contract to serve as the general sales and service agents (GSSAs) for Icelandic low-cost airline PLAY in France, Denmark, and other European markets.

They will develop PLAY’s cargo business across its narrowbody fleet of A320neo and A321neo aircraft, leveraging CargoTech’s digital tools for support, according to an official release from ECS Group.

“Word of mouth is the best business card, especially in a people-centric industry like ours,” says Jean Ceccaldi, CEO, ECS Group. “Globe Air Cargo France and Nordic GSA won the tender for PLAY because of ECS Group’s success with one of PLAY’s partners. Our teams proved that they have the local expertise and advanced digital tools needed to support this new and ambitious leisure airline in building a stable and expanding belly cargo business almost from scratch. Paris Charles de Gaulle is currently PLAY’s leading destination by frequency, followed by Copenhagen, so our teams were a logical geographical choice for European GSSA headquarters operations. ECS Group welcomes PLAY to its customer portfolio and will be following its expansion with great interest.”

PLAY operates a fleet of 10 A320neo and A321neo aircraft and has rapidly expanded its network since launching flight operations in June 2024. The carrier now serves 37 destinations across 18 countries in North America, Europe, and Africa, with new routes to Southern European leisure markets planned for this summer.

“The potential for cargo growth with such a young airline, PLAY began operating just four years ago, is very appealing, and Globe Air Cargo is thrilled to be its first French GSSA and to develop a successful network together,” says Franck Tordjman, Managing Director, Globe Air Cargo France. “We have devised a clear strategy that includes digital process enhancements and a vision to securely place PLAY and Iceland on the map, and fly cargo to and from as many of PLAY’s destinations as possible.”

“We already have regular flows of cargo on PLAY flights from Denmark to Tenerife (TFS) and Gran Canaria (LPA) in the Canary Islands,” says Thomas Frederiksen, Managing Director, Nordic GSA in Denmark. “While these are primarily highly popular holiday destinations for passengers, Nordic GSA’s mission is to equally promote opportunities for cargo business on board of PLAY, and to generate excellent baseload revenue for the airline. Not just for these destinations, but also others within its network that may have never seen cargo before. We’re fortunate, as part of ECS Group, to have state-of-the-art digital support at our fingertips when it comes to reading and acting on market trends and establishing new cargo revenue streams.”