The Global Logistics Services Inc. (GLS) and National Aviation Services (NAS) joint venture company formed earlier this year, GLS – NAS, kicked off operations at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Monrovia handling six flights and more than 15 metric tons of cargo on the first day.

The joint venture was formed to manage a 25-year air cargo operations concession awarded to GLS by the Government of Liberia. The concession includes the design, finance, build, maintenance, operation and transfer (DFBMOT) of a new, modern cargo facility at RIA. The new facility, covering 2,700 sqm, is scheduled for completion in 2019 with a view of improving RIA’s air cargo operations to meet international standards and support export supply chain capacity in the country.

While the new facility is under construction, GLS – NAS continues to operate out of the existing warehouse at RIA. On the first day of operations, GLS – NAS managed ramp cargo transportation for Arik Air, Kenya Airways, Air Cote d’Ivoire, Brussels Airline, KLM and ground handling for the DHL cargo aircraft. This included different aircrafts such as the B373, A319, A330 and the cargo flight ATR42 throughout the day.

A team of 12 operations employees kept the operations smooth running and incident free.

Axel Coulibaly, General Manager of GLS – NAS said “It was an exciting day as we kicked off operations at RIA. By introducing world class cargo operations through GLS - NAS, we expect to triple the current cargo throughput in Monrovia by driving more efficiency, eliminating delays and bottlenecks in the clearing process, and reducing the overall production and transaction costs in Liberia.”