Always Take Care As Simple As ATC

     Early last month as the first freighter from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt-Hahn began four flights-per-week service every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ATC Aviation Services Ltd. was also there as general sales and services agent (GSSA) managing all aspects of Crystal Cargo’s sales and service delivery in Germany.
     Ingo Zimmer, managing director of ATC based in Cargo City South, Frankfurt has somehow relaxed his 6’ 5” inch tall frame into the ATC stand at Transport Logistic where he is pictured with a colleague and agent from Italy.
     As we speak, just off to our left a trained masseuse that ATC has hired for the show is working away kneading, coaxing and rearranging somebody who must have thought that this would be a rub down with a velvet glove after wandering into the booth.
     As the slaps and grunts continue, Ingo looks on impassively as he speaks about his business.
Ingo, it turns out, couples intelligence and matinee good looks with genuine down to earth, nice guy demeanor and a willingness to listen.
     He is one former freight forwarder who has figured out how to score big as a GSSA in the 21st century.
     ATC’s roots date back to the early seventies when ATC Air Transport Consultants Ltd. was established in Switzerland as a charter broker.
     By the 1980’s ATC had gained a solid reputation as a pioneer in the field of cargo GSA for scheduled carriers, a concept which was then introduced successfully in other European countries and as the first GSA organization to provide coverage with dedicated offices across several European countries.
     During the mid-1990’s the company was taken over by key management and ATC Aviation Services Ltd. was born.
     New strategies were introduced based on the corporate slogan: ATC Always Takes Care.
     In 2004, ATC Aviation Services Ltd became a member of the “World Freight Company” Group, part of a worldwide network of GSSAs.
     Operated in Germany and Austria by Ingo Zimmer, for the past dozen and a half years in addition to Etihad, the company represents, Asiana, Royal Brunei, Kuwait Airways, Yemenia, TMA, Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines and Air Mauritius and others.
     “All the airlines that we work for in my district are equal, everybody gets the golden touch at ATC.
     “Our staff in Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Cologne publish individual rate sheets for the German agency community as if the papers came from the airline itself.
    “Each of our employees puts the respective airline hat on while advancing the fortunes of a carrier by telephone or by e-mail.
     “The key ingredient of our organization here is to never forget that this is a highly personal business that never lets the customer forget how important he or she is regarded.
     “We also make a point to be better at handling specialized markets including Africa and The Middle East, East Asia and Eastern Europe and Central Asia better than anyone else.
     “There is no skimping on our effort either.
     “ATC goes all the way 24/7 for all our business partners.
     “When I began in this business our clients were mostly airlines people knew little about.
     “Today in the global village where every bit of information can be in your handheld, the smart money sticks to core business and leaves air cargo to professionals like ATC.
     “In other words, the GSSA market has widened to include just about everybody and that has sharpened our need and also ability to be better at everything we do. “Of course there are problems.
     “Sometimes fuel surcharges are higher than the market rates on certain segments.
     “Surcharges can often be a nightmare, with an end result of no commission for us.
     “The reason we have grown however in addition to our great team, is that ATC has the financial power to deliver a first-class product in our role as an airline cargo organization in a market like this one.
Geoffrey