ONE Record is the start but Intelligent Exploitation is the goal: Aerion

As the traditional general sales agent (GSA) model faces unprecedented demands for digitisation and profitability, Aerion has emerged as a new strategic layer designed to unify the fragmented landscape of air logistics.

Built on the foundations of industry heavyweights like ECS Group and CargoTech, Aerion is not merely adapting to market shifts, it is engineering them. Adrien Thominet, Founder and Chairman of Aerion, explains that the company was created to act as a collective profit engine, moving beyond simple representation to integrate technology, market intelligence, and strategic consulting.

Edited experts:

With the IATA ONE Record initiative gaining maturity, how will the global sales agent of the future use a single‑source‑of‑truth data set to drive profitability differently than they do today?
IATA’s ONE Record is an important enabler because it helps the industry move towards a cleaner, more consistent way of structuring and sharing information across the cargo chain. But once this foundation is in place, the real difference is no longer about who has the data, but who truly knows how to use it to steer profitability.​

The real disruption is no longer access to data, but the ability to exploit it intelligently. For a long time, having information was enough to make a difference; today, almost everyone has data, but very few manage to turn it into concrete decisions that genuinely improve profitability.​

Aerion is positioned exactly at this critical point. The role is not to own the data, but to orchestrate its use: connecting commercial, operational, market and customer signals, and translating them into precise choices on network, pricing, customer mix and product development. Data thus becomes a common language across all functions, rather than a tool reserved for a few specialists.​

In this environment, the Group’s solutions, and in particular the technological galaxy of CargoTech, are not isolated bricks but decision accelerators. Their maximum value appears when they are guided by a clear view of the performance to be achieved and by shared indicators. This is exactly Aerion’s role: ensuring that technology is not just a support function, but the natural extension of a well‑defined profit strategy.​

The GSA of tomorrow will not be the one who sees the most data, but the one who knows how to interpret it, prioritise it and activate it at the right moment through the right tools and the right teams. Aerion’s ambition is to be that partner: the one that turns a mass of information, structured notably thanks to standards like ONE Record, into a continuous, readable and measurable performance engine for airlines.​

Aerion has introduced a board of industry leaders to challenge its vision. What are the top three trends this board is currently tracking for the 2026 horizon?
Our board of experts isn’t here to validate Aerion’s vision, but to challenge it in the most pragmatic way. They have identified three major shifts shaping the 2026 horizon.

The complete change of the transactional GSA model. Future growth will not rely on selling capacity, but on predictive demand management, data‑driven value creation, and continuous commercial connectivity between airlines and markets.

The merging of commercial and technological logic. AI, real‑time data and digital performance tools, driven by CargoTech’s ecosystem, are redefining revenue management and network planning at every level.

The transition from compliance‑based to performance‑based partnerships. Airlines are no longer seeking representation; they expect measurable, data‑proven impact on their overall performance.

Aerion is being built precisely around these dynamics: aligning technology, market intelligence, and strategic consulting into one continuous performance engine. Aerion doesn’t just track trends, it industrialises them into scalable business models.

With entities ranging from ECS Group (Commercial) to Squair (Legal/Support), how does Aerion ensure these independent organs work together to improve an airline’s overall performance?
For nearly three decades, the leadership behind Aerion has been actively shaping the air cargo industry rather than simply adapting to it. First by creating ECS Group, then by integrating Global GSA Group, the Group built an unparalleled commercial and operational network that set a new benchmark for airline representation. Over the years, this network has allowed us to observe, test and refine what truly drives performance for airlines, across regions, products and market cycles.

But we also knew that the traditional GSA model is no more matching completely with the industry requirements. That is why the Group moved beyond pure representation and created CargoTech, bringing together leading digital capabilities to address planning, optimisation and distribution in a fully data‑driven way.

In parallel, dedicated abilities were built, TCE to bring deep safety, security and quality expertise into operations, Squair to provide specialised back office solutions and claims support, Mail&More to focus on postal and e‑commerce flows, and Healthc’Air to address the specific demands of healthcare and temperature‑sensitive logistics. Each of these entities was designed as a step ahead of market needs, not as a reaction to them.

Aerion is the next logical step in this journey. It was created to move beyond the fragmented GSA model and turn this ecosystem into one coherent performance engine. Where the market still operates in silos commercial, operational, tech or support, Aerion provides the strategic layer that connects everything.

In practice, Aerion centralises strategic intelligence: commercial data, operational performance indicators, market trends and regulatory constraints. Each entity, ECS Group, Global GSA Group, Squair, TCE, Mail&More, Healthc’Air, retains its own expertise and independence, but all operate within a unified commercial framework, guided by shared objectives and common profitability metrics.

Airlines today face an environment of growing complexity. Aerion turns that complexity into integrated performance, delivering a 360‑degree view of their cargo business, from pricing to legal, from safety to sales execution and aligning all moving parts towards measurable, sustainable profit. Aerion doesn’t just connect entities, it transforms their expertise into one collective profit engine.