Challenge Group and ECS Group have expanded their international collaboration following an open-ended contract agreement, signed earlier this year.

The GSSA already represents Challenge Group in Germany, France, Scandinavia, Singapore, and Vietnam. In recent months, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine were added to the Challenge Group GSSA portfolio.

With the inclusion of Eastern Europe, Challenge Group and ECS Group have broadened the feeder catchment area into Challenge Group's Belgian hub, Liege, and created connections to key global gateways.

 (Photo: ECS Group)

Challenge Group operates a dense Boeing freighter network out of Liege to the U.S., China, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and beyond – including core markets in Hong Kong, India, Kenya, China and the US.

In the announcement, the Group said its airline faction is rapidly growing and will soon be taking delivery of state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ERSF freighters, which will complement the existing 747-400F and 767-300BDSF fleets and would enable further new routings to Asia and South America in the coming years. It also regularly carries out international charter operations.

"Challenge Group is unique because we take on the logistics challenges that standard cargo service providers reject. Every transportation project is different, demanding flexibility, speed, an agile way of thinking, and – above all – professionalism, expertise, and trust," said Or Zak,  chief commercial officer at Challenge Group.

"In ECS Group, we know that we have a partner capable of matching our corporate mission and network, and we are delighted to have kicked off the next step in our strategic expansion."

Jean Ceccaldi, chief executive officer of ECS Group, noted that Challenge Group is always where there is opportunity.

"At ECS Group, we believe in one team, one aim, one drive, and have successfully risen together with Challenge Group to transform complex cargo challenges into sustainable business opportunities across France, Germany, Scandinavia, and Asia," he said.

"We are confident that our GSSA teams in Eastern Europe will also achieve significant market expansion and commercial growth for Challenge Group – particularly within its core target industries such as industrial machinery, engines, spare parts, and drilling equipment."

In addition to these vertical business flows, Challenge Group's product portfolio includes pharmaceuticals, automotives, aerospace, perishables and live animal transports.

Bookings and customer services are carried out using Challenge Group’s internal IT systems.

The Group said commercial processes and operational planning are enhanced through CargoTech software solutions such as Apollo for business intelligence reporting, SkyPallet for optimum capacity usage, and Rotate for in-depth market information.