Gulf Air Cargo to relaunch Falcon Express service

Gulf Air Cargo will soon relaunch its Falcon Express Airway Bills as a full-fledged regular courier service said a senior official of the airline.

According to Abdullah Al Shawoosh, cargo manager-UAE, plans are under way to relaunch and expand the services of Falcon Express Airway Bills to fully participate in the growing courier market of the country.

"The services we provide to the world leading and major courier companies have gained reputation in the market. Therefore, the relaunch and expansion of Falcon Express Airway Bill is aimed at making good use of these services for the benefit of the airline," Al Shawoosh explained.

He said the Falcon Express Service is not subject to off load in any circumstances in order to provide efficient and satisfactory services to the airlines clients.

The Falcon Express Airway Bills have mainly been serving the Courier Companies, said Al Shawoosh, a Bahraini executive, who has been promoted from Cargo Sales Manager for Abu Dhabi & Al Ain to become the Cargo Manager-UAE.

However, he added, when relaunched, it will serve as a full-fledged entity within the Cargo Section of the airline with specialised and dedicated staff to handle the courier services of the airline.

He said the airline will continue to provide its existing services to the courier companies operating to its worldwide destinations.

Referring to the overall performance of Gulf Air Cargo, he said Cargo's average contribution to the airline is 15 per cent.

Al Shawoosh further added that Cargo's cumulative uplift from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain alone reached 11.27 per cent in the first six months of this year. The revenue generated by Cargo in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in the same period also rose by 13.39 per cent cumulatively.

The cumulative uplift for the whole of 2001 was recorded at 35.96 per cent with more than 3,520 tonnes of cargo handled (exported). The revenue for last year were recorded with a growth of 19.14 per cent against the target in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain alone.

The official further added that the airline has expanded its cargo services to cover the entire country, including Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah in the Northern Emirates with Road Feeder Services as per the needs of our clients.

"Our commitments to our clients have always been served with personalised services along with on time performance to meet the clients requirements.

"If a shipper wants to have a shipment in a certain time, we make sure that the client demand is adhered to," he said, adding that the airline cargo has proved to have the best connections with the best network in the Middle East.

About the new initiatives, after taking the charge as Cargo Manager of UAE, Al Shawoosh said the ongoing restructuring includes focusing on well-trained and competent staff.

"We are in the process of analysing the overall performance of the department as part of the restructure plans. We plan to promote and link the seven emirates with our Road Feeder Services to deal with different clients in accordance with their expectations and demands.

"Therefore, the new plans and expansion have to be analysed to meet our clients demands," the cargo executive added.

He said that Jebel Ali as a destination for cargo is being considered due to its growing industrialisation and booming trade activities. "The department may have a proper set up at Jebel Ali, in the future," he added.

Referring to the airlines trucking cargo service, Al Shawoosh said the service has now been extended beyond Dubai in the beginning of the year.

"Now the service has been expanded to cover the whole Northern Emirates, following its popularity and to meet the demands of our clients," he said.