Supply Chain bottlenecks during the pandemic crisis have forced importers and exporters to look for alternative means of transportation to overcome challenges.
Transport advantages, lead times, schedule reliability, and product safety are key deciding factors in choosing the right freight service. At the same time, efficiency in transport and delivery bring business continuity and smooth corporate operations.
Air transportation is considered one of the most viable alternatives in responding to unforeseen situations and coping with supply chain disruptions. Such incidents bring opportunities for many airlines to expand their cargo business to meet the increasing demand. Concurrently, General Sales Agents (GSAs) are one of the key players in the success of the industry. As an intermediary, GSAs connect the needs of airlines in fulfilling the expanding cargo capacity while providing freight services to shippers or local freight forwarders.
In this issue of AFL Magazine, we talked with KAS Thailand, a new generation of General Sales Agent. Ms Wanida Suteerawongkul, Assistant Manager, KAS Thailand, shared her insight into the business and services of the company and the secret formula behind the success of the KAS Thailand brand.
The Jumpstart
“We started serving as a sales agent for SF Airlines in 2021, beginning by taking care of local sales to support the airline’s urgent volume between Thailand and China. Later, we saw growth opportunities for air cargo on this route. Therefore, we officially established as KAS Thailand in 2022,” Ms Suteerawongkul said. The company, to fully support its customers in Thailand, has set up two offices: one in the city centre of Bangkok and another one at the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
KAS Thailand currently represents two cargo airlines as GSAs, SF Airlines and K-Mile Air. Their primary role is to provide air transportation services connecting Thailand and China via the Bangkok – Shenzhen route, offering five flights weekly. In addition, at Suvarnabhumi Airport, THAI Cargo acts as a business partner and provides ground handling operations for their designated cargo. All of KAS Thailand’s air freight services are operated by Boeing 757, 767, and 737 freighter aircraft.
“Besides the Bangkok-Shenzhen air cargo service, we offer a distribution network to more than 20 key destinations in China, such as Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan, by land transportation. Furthermore, connecting flights to Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and India are also available.”
Complete Mastery
Behind KAS Thailand’s success in rapid growth is a dynamic hand-selected team. The staff deeply understand the air freight business and all the aspects of import and export formalities. In addition, they provide professional operations with specialized knowledge in transporting various types of goods.
“We cover a wide range of goods in our transportation services. Seasonal fresh produce such as durian, mangosteen, and mango. Frozen foods such as seafood and shrimp. Live food, such as eel, as well as general cargo, like electronic devices, cables, hard disks, and more.” said Ms Suteerawongkul.
With a team of cross-industry experts, the company can meet a variety of needs of cargo transportation, covering a wide range of industries. It also has the advantage of cargo aircraft, which offers no restrictions for transporting unique foods such as durian, which has a strong odour, and oversized items.
Local Expertise
The air freight industry is a business sector with a constantly changing landscape. As an intermediary between airlines and shippers, a GSA is not only responsible for allocating cargo space to freight forwarders and selling it for airlines but must have the ability to adapt, solve problems, and coordinate quickly and excellently so that both the airlines and shippers can run their business smoothly.
“Even though we mainly take care of sales activities in Thailand, KAS Thailand also places great importance on after-sales service. Our coordinators speak fluent Chinese and are always ready to answer customers’ calls. For example, if a customer needs assistance importing goods to a destination country, we can provide support immediately. Likewise, if tracking the whereabouts of the cargo transported by truck is an issue, our team can communicate with the local office in China, even Chinese truck drivers.” said Ms Suteerawongkul.
Regarding the future business expansion plans of KAS Thailand, Ms Suteerawongkul concluded that “We have a team full of potential and is ready to expand the business to be more comprehensive. Although our main servicing route is currently Thailand-China, we also see opportunities to expand our services by opening flights to other important Asian cities such as Incheon in South Korea and Osaka and Tokyo in Japan.”
Amid the looming challenge, KAS Thailand broke through and became an outstanding GSA operator in flight schedule reliability, a comprehensive network of land transportation, a wide range of product support, and a team of experts ready to respond to local customers promptly and comprehensively.
KAS Thailand aims to support both airlines and freight forwarders customers to expand their markets extensively. Therefore, the company is ready to provide GSA services to all airlines in all trade routes.
At the same time, the company is prepared to respond to the import-export needs of all kinds of goods from shippers of all origins and destinations worldwide under international standards of services at reasonable prices.
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