It’s not often in the air cargo industry, that an entirely new concept comes along – most developments are simply a more polished version of something that has gone before. Air cargo functions as it always has done – a myriad of stakeholders at different stages of digitalization, with varying degrees of globalization, standardization, and access to resources. With the daily stress of ensuring that shipments all fly as booked on board of planes expected to leave as scheduled, it can be difficult, as an airline, to take a step back to look at the bigger picture and recognize where changes can be made for air cargo to function more efficiently.
A new name on the horizon with a completely new air cargo concept. Image: Lemon Queen/Aerion
AERION: Air cargo’s first Think Tank
What is needed for a bigger picture and a dedicated focus on process improvement, is a Think Tank. And that is how AERION markets itself – as “a new Think Tank designed to support airlines in managing and evolving their cargo business. Built as an agile and consultative structure, AERION brings together commercial, digital, operational, and support expertise within a single strategic framework to optimize performance and rethink traditional models.” It’s not simply a new Think Tank, but the first of its kind within – and dedicated to – the air cargo industry. Headed by Adrien Thominet as Chairman, AERION is supported not only by an Executive Board of Directors who oversee operational execution, but also has a separate Advisory Board composed of leading experts in the air cargo industry, which assists in “shaping strategic priorities and tracking market evolution”. This ensures, as it says, “balanced governance to drive long-term vision.” And, in fact, AERION’s name stems from its conceptual approach: AERION is a mix of Aerial (aviation-related, but you could also read into this as ‘viewing from the sky’ – ergo ‘bigger picture’) and Vision (of a long-term, successful, and efficient air cargo industry).
More than a service provider or consulting firm
So, is AERION basically a consulting firm? No, it goes far deeper than consulting and is quick, too, to point out that it is not a vendor or purely a service provider. AERION markets itself as an exclusive commercial partner, created as “a tailored strategic platform designed to help airlines structure, transform, and unlock the full value of their cargo operations.” Its aim is to discreetly support individual airlines by auditing their set-up and providing a tailored strategy designed to strengthen the airline’s approach and execution of its cargo business. AERION offers a modular pallet of measures or solutions in four specific business areas: commercial, digital, regulatory, or organizational – a selection of “levers without the need for internal expansion. The objective is simple: deliver sustainable performance, driven by profitability, modernization, service quality, and future-readiness,” the release states.
Use what you require
“AERION draws on the proven expertise of several companies, aligned into four main performance streams:
Commercial: GSA services, market development, and flow management via ECS Group, Global GSA, Mail & More.
Tech: digital tools, platforms, data solutions, and automation via CargoTech.
Operations: supervision, quality, compliance, and on-the-ground excellence via TCE.
Support: legal, contractual, HR, billing solutions via Squair.”
It emphasizes that each of the four performance streams “operates independently but can be combined to deliver custom-built, high-performance strategies.”
Strategic depth and operational agility
The combination of an outside group of experts establishing the larger cargo picture for an airline, providing advice and suggestions for greater efficiency, and AERION’s access to experienced service and solution providers in four core business aspects, creates a “structure [that] ensures both strategic depth and operational agility”: a holistic approach to establishing greater operational efficiency in air cargo.
Adrien Thominet explains the spirit of AERION thus: “Imagine you’re leading an airline and you’re under pressure to do more with less – sell better, automate more, control costs, stay compliant. You don’t need another provider. You need a team that sees the whole picture, who can quietly and efficiently strengthen your cargo performance without the noise. That’s what AERION is. A strategic ally, discreet but decisive.” AERION looks to be the industry’s first omni-functional strategic partner capable of optimizing, managing and sustainably transforming an airline’s cargo operations to generate maximum business success. Or as AERION’s boiler plate succinctly puts it: ‘Cargo, redefined’.
