ATC Aviation Services Driving Growth for 53 years through diversified markets and innovations
From a small charter brokerage firm in Switzerland in 1971, ATC Aviation Services made history when it pioneered in introducing the concept of General Sales Agent (GSA) and cargo management services for scheduled airlines.
Its innovative idea opened up doors of opportunities for other companies to become GSAs but it remains the global leader in the multibillion GSSA industry. The ambitious founders of the company, with their keen eye for opportunity, made an indelible mark in the industry’s business landscape and established ATC as a
key player in the seamless transportation of cargo internationally.
ATC has indeed carved a niche for itself, renowned for its expertise in air cargo management, offering a comprehensive suite of services and products, including market research, business intelligence, and airline consultancy – ultimately, becoming a one-stop shop for airlines seeking to optimize their cargo operations. And 53 years since its establishment, ATC Aviation
continues to thrive in fair or difficult situations such as the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Cargo Update spoke at length with Ingo Zimmer, the Chief Executive Officer of ATC Aviation Services AG, whose dynamic leadership steers the company to new heights especially in today’s digital age where smart technologies are applied in all aspects of operations.
Global presence
The German national Zimmer has dedicated his time with ATC Aviation since 1989 or for the past 35 years when the company formed its subsidiary in Germany.
It was a one-man show back in the day for Zimmer who did the sales and marketing, the paper works like invoicing, and even supervising the loading of shipments and storage at the warehouse.
Today, the Frankfurt-based GSA operation of the company, which Zimmer nurtured and helped grew to what it is now, is a critical part of the company’s global growth.
Zimmer’s first job was with Danzas in Germany as an apprentice before spending the next four years with the German Air Force.
After his military stint, Zimmer returned to the air freight industry in 1987 as cargo-agent for Röhlig Airfreight. In 1989, he moved to ATC Aviation Services which in 2019 had a turnover of more than EUR 400 million.
“In 1989, I have changed to ATC Aviation Services and opened the office in Germany. Over the years, I was promoted from various posts to the COO and from 2009, as CEO of ATC Aviation Services,” Zimmer recalled.
The air cargo industry is influenced by so many external factors—the weather, geopolitics, economics, finance, the state of infrastructure in the destination, technologies, among many others.
Zimmer who had witnessed the industry’s ups and downs for more than three decades now said the key to ATC Aviation’s survival is its diversified markets and ability to innovate under different
circumstances.
“The air cargo industry is always volatile, fluctuating under different situations and circumstances in different zones and locations. The GSAs are basically the backbone of the air cargo industry and so we have to adopt and be flexible at all times,” said Zimmer.
“We’ve seen some challenges. Battled some storms. And we continue to deal with other challenges that come our way. I mean there was a financial crisis. There was COVID and so on,” Zimmer explained. “We are all in the same industry, in the same environment. So, of course, the GSAs are also concerned like our customers, the forwarding agents and also the airlines.”
But GSSAs differ from other industries in the wider aviation sector that it’s not dependent on just a single market or just one route. A big GSA company like ATC Aviation has hundreds of airlines and other industry clients in its portfolio, thus, balancing its operations despite adverse external adversaries.
“Our strength is that we have a certain set up. If in a certain origin or country or region, the business is down, maybe it’s up somewhere else, we can balance it because we are a global GSSA,” Zimmer explained.
“At the same time, we are not dependent on a single airline or just two airlines. We have a very wide customer base. We’re dealing with nearly 100 airlines and from small to big, across continents. I mean, there are the Middle East carriers, the usual ones, and also Turkish Airlines. We have niche carriers as well. With up to 100 carriers, different regions, we become a strong organization,” he added.
ATC Aviation is particularly strong in Central Europe which includes Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Switzerland, among others.
“And then we have the Americas. In the United States and in Canada. I think in both markets, we are the leading GSSA in terms of tonnages, and of course, quality. We are also in South America. We have our own network. We are not working with sub-agents. Our head office in the region is based in Santiago, Chile. But we also cover Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, etc. These are our own offices, our own team, our own staff, and then of course everybody is working with the same tools, he further explained.
Investing in technology
ATC Aviation pioneered in ideas and innovations long before GSSA became an industry. Not surprisingly, it’s among the leading players in the sector that takes the lead in investing in technology.
With its operations now on a global scale, ATC Aviation is into smart and cloud technologies that enable its staff to operate and deal with business matters anywhere in the world in real time.
“We’re working on the same cloud platform. It’s about intelligence. Data is king. We have information from different sources, including our own operations system. We’re always up to date when it comes to data. Our business is to take decision based on the right mix between data and direct market information,” Zimmer shared.
Technology is also enabling the company’s staff to take decision based on the right mix between data and direct market information giving them more flexibility to become productive while balancing their life.
“With technology, our staff are able to work from home, especially in America. But it’s different in South America. In Europe, our staff work three days in the office and two days at home. Here, people prefer to work from the office. We are super flexible. This is really a great thing,” said Zimmer who stressed that people remain ATC Aviation’s greatest assets, after all, the GSSA industry is about establishing good business relationships with quality service.
For now, Zimmer and his team are preparing for their next conquest—expanding their presence in the Asia-Pacific, the region with the most promising economic growth.
ATC Aviation Services Milestones
1979 – ATC establishes itself as a pioneer in the field of Cargo General Sales Agency and Management Services for scheduled airlines. Over the next few years, ATC successfully expands and grows this concept in other European countries.
1980-1989 – ATC Aviation Services became the first GSA organization to provide coverage with company-owned and dedicated offices in several European countries.
1995 – Executive Management purchased the Company, and ATC Aviation Services Ltd. was born. New corporate mission was launched: ATC – Always Takes Care.
2004 – ATC Aviation Services Ltd. became a member of the “World Freight Company Group” – creating a worldwide network of GSSAs.
2007 – Air Support Amsterdam and Brussels became full members of the ATC Aviation Group in the Benelux.
2011 – AMS France is renamed ATC Aviation Services. – TCC The Cargo Connection in South Africa became a full member of the ATC Aviation Group. New offices launched in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. New office opened in Hong Kong.
2013 – Houston-based general sales agent Platinum Air Cargo USA LLC became a member of the ATC Group, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and two offices in New York.
2014 – ATC Aviation Services was founded in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
2018 – ATC Aviation Services and leading Latin America GSSA Pacific Feeder Services joined forces with offices in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.
2019 – Starways Group – with offices in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland – became a member of the ATC Aviation Group. Brainway Airline Services – with offices in Austria, Slovakia – joined
the ATC Aviation Group.
2020 – ATC Aviation Services opened its offices in China and South Korea.
