Disruption didn't shrink the GSSA role, it expanded it

Air cargo has never been a simple business. It operates across borders, time zones, regulatory systems and economic cycles, connecting manufacturers, retailers and consumers through a complex global network. Yet for much of its history, the industry's commercial structure remained relatively straightforward. Airlines provided capacity, freight forwarders sourced cargo, and General Sales and Service Agents, better known as GSSAs, helped bridge the gap between the two.

For decades, GSSAs largely operated behind the scenes. Their primary role was to represent airlines in markets where carriers did not have their own cargo sales teams, helping to sell capacity, build relationships with freight forwarders and grow market presence.

Today, however, that role is changing rapidly. The modern air cargo market is shaped by forces that did not exist at the same scale a decade ago. Geopolitical tensions, shifting trade flows, airspace restrictions, volatile fuel prices, digital transformation and changing customer expectations are creating an environment where uncertainty has become a permanent feature of doing business.

As a result, airlines are increasingly looking beyond traditional sales representation. They need partners that can help them navigate disruption, protect revenue, manage performance and respond quickly when market conditions change.

In this environment, GSSAs are becoming far more than sales agents. They are emerging as strategic partners that play a growing role in how airlines manage and grow their cargo businesses.

When disruption becomes the operating environment
The true value of a GSSA often becomes most visible when the market is under pressure. In stable conditions, cargo networks generally operate according to established schedules and predictable demand patterns. Airlines know where capacity is needed, freight forwarders understand available options, and cargo flows through established trade lanes.

Disruption changes everything. A geopolitical crisis can force aircraft to avoid certain airspace. A conflict can alter trade routes overnight. Rising fuel prices can increase operating costs, while sudden shifts in demand can create capacity shortages across key markets.

The recent tensions affecting parts of the Middle East provide a clear example. The region sits at the crossroads of some of the world's most important cargo corridors, linking Asia, Europe and Africa. When disruptions occur, the effects ripple across the global supply chain. Flight paths become longer, operating costs increase, transit times change and available cargo capacity tightens.

For airlines, managing such situations requires constant adjustments. Capacity must be reallocated, alternative routings identified and customers kept informed. "Disruption is no longer an exception; it is the operating environment," says Abhishek Goyal, CEO and Executive Director of Aeroprime.

His observation reflects a reality that many cargo operators now face. Rather than dealing with occasional crises, airlines are increasingly operating in a market where uncertainty has become routine.

At Aeroprime, our immediate focus has been on staying closely connected with both airline partners and customers to ensure faster decision-making and better visibility on capacity changes
Abhishek Goyal, Aeroprime

This is one of the key reasons why the role of GSSAs is expanding. When markets become volatile, airlines need local expertise, immediate market intelligence and the ability to make decisions quickly. These are areas where experienced GSSAs can often provide significant value.

Why airlines are asking for more than sales support
The traditional GSSA model was built around market representation. Airlines appointed agents to sell cargo capacity in specific markets, maintain relationships with freight forwarders and provide local commercial support. While this model remains important, it is no longer sufficient for many carriers.

Today's airlines are under pressure to do more with fewer resources. Maintaining cargo sales teams across multiple countries is expensive. At the same time, market conditions are becoming increasingly difficult to monitor from a central location. Trade flows shift rapidly, customer requirements evolve and competitive dynamics vary significantly from one region to another.

As a result, airlines are increasingly seeking partners that can provide more than sales. Goyal believes one of the biggest changes is that airlines are now outsourcing market intelligence itself.

Understanding customer behaviour, identifying emerging trade opportunities and interpreting local market conditions have become critical capabilities in an increasingly competitive environment.

The same trend is visible across the wider GSSA sector. Aytekin Saray, CEO of Global GSA Group, says the company is expanding beyond traditional sales representation into operational services such as road feeder services, cargo handling oversight and end-to-end performance coordination.

The objective is no longer simply to represent an airline. The objective is to help improve its overall cargo performance. This evolution reflects a broader shift within the industry. Airlines are increasingly viewing GSSAs as strategic extensions of their own cargo organisations rather than external sales contractors.

Becoming the industry's first responders
Perhaps the clearest demonstration of this changing role emerges during periods of market disruption When cargo flows are affected by geopolitical tensions, capacity shortages or operational challenges, airlines need immediate solutions. Someone must identify alternative routings. Someone must communicate with freight forwarders. Someone must manage available capacity and help protect revenue.

Increasingly, that responsibility is falling to GSSAs. Burak Omeroglu, Chief Business Development Officer at ABDA Group, says maintaining cargo connectivity became a priority during the recent Middle East disruptions.

Despite reduced capacity, the company worked to keep cargo moving through available gateways while introducing new capacity options and leveraging its existing network to connect South Asia and Southeast Asia with Europe.

At Global GSA Group, Saray points to the challenges created by shifting trade routes, fluctuating supply and demand dynamics, regional regulations and infrastructure constraints. Responding to these conditions requires operational flexibility and strong local expertise.

For many airlines, this ability to react quickly has become increasingly valuable. The modern GSSA is often among the first organisations to identify changes in local market conditions and implement commercial responses. In many ways, they have become the industry's first responders when disruption occurs.

From selling capacity to managing performance
As airline expectations evolve, so too does the definition of success for a GSSA. Historically, performance was measured largely by how much cargo space could be sold. Today, airlines are increasingly focused on broader commercial outcomes.

Revenue quality, yield management, customer retention and market performance have become equally important. Jean Ceccaldi, CEO of ECS Group, believes this represents a fundamental shift in the industry's expectations. "The GSSA role has fundamentally changed. It is no longer about selling capacity, it is about controlling commercial performance on behalf of the airline," he says.

That distinction is significant Selling available space is a transactional activity. Managing commercial performance requires a much deeper understanding of market conditions, pricing dynamics and customer behaviour.

During the recent Middle East disruptions, ECS Group worked to redirect cargo flows, optimise available capacity and introduce charter solutions where required. The focus was not simply on maintaining operations. It was on protecting revenue and maximising performance despite challenging conditions. This reflects a broader trend across the industry. Airlines increasingly expect GSSAs to contribute directly to business outcomes rather than simply facilitating sales.

The rise of Total Cargo Management
The evolution of the GSSA model is perhaps most visible in the growing adoption of Total Cargo Management or TCM. Under traditional arrangements, airlines retained responsibility for most cargo functions while outsourcing sales representation. TCM changes that model significantly. Instead of managing multiple cargo functions internally, airlines can transfer large portions of their cargo business to specialised partners.

Sarah Scheibe, Managing Director of TCE, says airlines increasingly want a single partner capable of handling everything from operations and planning to revenue management. "Airlines want one partner who can handle everything," she says.

At ABDA Group, Omeroglu describes a model in which airlines provide cargo capacity while external specialists manage virtually all other cargo-related activities. These responsibilities can include sales, marketing, technology systems, revenue accounting, road feeder services, warehousing and customer management.

Fuel price fluctuations is a real pressure for the airlines and we are forced to implement additional charges solely due to these pressures, however we are trying to keep these to a minimum in order to support the industry in difficult times
Burak Omeroglu, ABDA Group

For airlines, the attraction is clear. Such arrangements can reduce operational complexity, improve efficiency and transfer certain financial risks to specialised partners. More importantly, they allow airlines to focus on their core business while still maximising cargo revenue opportunities. The growth of TCM also highlights how deeply integrated GSSAs are becoming within airline cargo operations.

Digital tools for a more volatile world
Technology is playing a critical role in enabling this transformation. For many years, cargo sales relied heavily on personal relationships, phone calls, emails and manual processes. While those relationships remain important, modern cargo markets increasingly require faster access to information and quicker decision-making.

Digital platforms are helping GSSAs respond to these demands. At Aeroprime, analytics and predictive tools support pricing decisions, inventory management and demand forecasting. Global GSA Group is investing in AI-powered forecasting tools and advanced analytics to improve responsiveness and transparency. ABDA Group has developed its own booking platform, to provide connectivity and streamline booking processes. ECS Group has built a broader digital ecosystem designed to provide visibility, pricing intelligence and shipment tracking capabilities.

What unites these initiatives is a common objective: helping airlines and customers respond more effectively to changing market conditions. In a volatile environment, access to timely information can make the difference between reacting to a disruption and staying ahead of it.

Technology is not replacing relationships
Despite the growing importance of digital tools, industry executives are united on one point: technology is not replacing human relationships. Air cargo remains a relationship-driven business built on trust, communication and local market knowledge. Digital platforms may improve efficiency, but customers still value personal engagement and expert guidance.

Scheibe believes success lies in combining both approaches. "We maintain strong personal contact with customers while using digital tools to improve speed, transparency, and efficiency," she says.

This balance may prove increasingly important as cargo sales become more automated. Technology can support decision-making, but relationships continue to drive long-term business partnerships.

A new era for the GSSA sector
Taken together, the changes taking place across the industry point to a clear conclusion. GSSAs are no longer simply helping airlines sell cargo space. They are providing market intelligence, managing operational complexity, supporting digital transformation, responding to disruptions and helping airlines improve commercial performance.

Most importantly, their value becomes greatest when markets become least predictable. Every major disruption places additional pressure on airlines to adapt quickly. Whether the challenge comes from geopolitical tensions, changing trade routes, capacity shortages or economic uncertainty, carriers increasingly need partners capable of responding in real time.

That reality is reshaping the relationship between airlines and GSSAs. What began as a sales partnership is evolving into a strategic alliance built around agility, expertise and performance. As volatility becomes a defining feature of the global air cargo market, the industry's future may depend not only on the airlines that provide capacity, but also on the partners helping them navigate uncertainty.

For GSSAs, that shift represents far more than an expansion of responsibilities. It represents a transformation in their place within the air cargo ecosystem itself.