Air Canada Cargo has awarded a two-year contract to Wallenborn Group to provide international road feeder services covering 40 airports in 14 countries in Europe and Scandinavia.


The collaboration agreement covers Air Canada's major European gateways of Frankfurt and London Heathrow as well as markets such as Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. It will also see Wallenborn provide offline handling services for the airline in Germany.
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As part of its vendor selection process, Air Canada was seeking a transport partner than would enable it to optimise total costs, achieve clear and transparent cost structures and provide benefits through network leveraging opportunities. Improving existing processes and service levels were other key factors in the decision-making process.


Frantz Wallenborn, Group President at Wallenborn Group, said: 'We are proud to have won this contract, which makes Wallenborn the largest provider of distribution services to Air Canada in Europe. We were selected based on our ability to provide a strong, competitive network that enables the airline to optimise its use of hubs to minimise costs and transfer times as well as meeting all applicable security, regulatory, safety and environmental standards.


'Our recognised commitment to quality and security, which includes Wallenborn's active participation in both Cargo 2000 and the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), also ranked highly for Air Canada. It means, for example, that our messaging is based on Cargo 2000 standards while our use of leading security systems and specialist driver training enables us to not only protect cargo moving in the supply chain but to also provide real-time tracking and updates at any point of the transportation process.'

Under the agreement, Wallenborn is providing a key account manager as a single point of contact for Air Canada to meet its commitment to provide trucks for despatch at six hours notice and fast transfers. This role will also include responsibility for ensuring 24/7 quick responses to requests, including ad hoc sales enquiries, and avoiding and resolving local issues using Wallenborn's network of offices across Europe and Scandinavia, including new locations opened in Frankfurt, Munich and Stockholm in 2010 and 2011. 
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Lise Marie Turpin, Managing Director at Air Canada Cargo: 'We are very pleased to have concluded this agreement with Wallenborn in Europe. As our partnership with Wallenborn grows, our global customers will benefit from more consistent high quality customer service.'