Wheels up to keep wheels rolling

GAC charter service helps automotive clients through the pandemic crunch

by Elias Mandas, GAC Group Marketing Manager – Automotive

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When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, it set off a domino effect which brought massive disruption to many industries – not least the automotive sector.

Lockdowns, travel restrictions and labour shortages interrupted supply chains and production lines. ?Major producers of automotive parts were among the hardest hit as local production first slowed, then stopped.

With supply chains buckling and breaking, ocean freight rates soaring and airfreight subject to border closures, GAC saw that it needed to find new solutions for getting the auto parts from European suppliers to the factories in China.?

Wheels up!

Its response was to charter its own flights for automotive customers. ?It started with two charter flights per week, which soon doubled, and since 1 December 2021, GAC is running five Boeing 747 freighters with daily departures from Europe to China.

Parts makers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles as well as 1st Tier Suppliers are using GAC’s charter solution. GAC handles shipments from manufacturing plants in Europe to factories in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Shenyang, Changchun, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Langfang, Zhangjiagang, Qingdao and Jiaxing. A further two dedicated charter flights per week from Germany to China are under discussion with an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

Automotive clients need guaranteed space at competitive rates on a long-term basis, even in times of crisis. GAC’s charter solution can help meet their target rate for three, six, or even twelve months.

For more information or any queries, contact us at [email protected].?