WEEKLY NEWS


NETWORK AVIATION GROUP: 40 YEARS OF SHIFTING MARKETS


06


BY Edward HARDY


A shift towards faster commercial response times and rising customer expectations is reshaping global airfreight operations. This change sits in sharp contrast to the traditional markets of the mid-1980s, when Network Aviation Group began life with a single aircraft and an entrepreneurial mindset. As the company closes its 40th anniversary year, Andy King, one of the founders and the Vice President, Middle East and Africa, sat down to discuss the core values that drove the early business and the developments that shaped the business that stands today. Network Aviation Group began in a sector that lacked the frameworks,


compliance technology standards, and digital


infrastructure that now define modern airfreight. The earliest operations relied on individual relationships and on-the-ground visibility rather than systems-driven interaction. The founding team believed this model would differentiate the company even as the global market changed. One of the earliest breakthroughs occurred when King was asked


to commercialise a single freighter, an opportunity that marked the start of the company’s trajectory. “Most of the suppliers and the customers, it was personal contact, face to face,” he explained. “We like to visit the customers. We travel a lot. We come to shows like this, and to meet our customers and potential customers. “The cargo airlines that were around were particularly passenger


carriers, and an opportunity arose with a gentleman that had one Boeing 707 cargo plane. He asked me to commercialise it for him, so that was the opportunity. The air cargo industry is quite small, and a lot of it is based on personal contacts. You need systems and back- office support, but the actual front-end selling is still a personal business.”


Change, expansion and resilience Four decades of operation have brought economic crises, shifting capacity, geopolitical disruption, and the need to pivot between


ACW 22 DECEMBER 2025


partners


and markets. Company


resilience


has


depended


on


adapting its business model without losing operational continuity. Amid all that, King pointed to the collapse of a key cargo partner early in the company’s history as a defining moment that highlighted the need to have a flexible approach. “We had to move, take control, rebrand, and move into basically a


different marketplace,” King explained. “They were our main source of revenue. There are two things about being a GSA. If you do not perform well, they might fire you, and if you perform really well, they take it in house,” he notes. “So there is always a challenge to keep that type of business.” Over the past 40 years, Network Aviation Group has sought


long-term strength through its work supporting African cargo. The region’s diverse markets, variable connectivity, and occasional instability require operational flexibility and strong local knowledge, with the company maintaining offices, partner networks, and adaptive routing strategies to maintain service levels and allow it to modify routes and loads to meet demand. “We feel a connection because our careers started in Africa,” he


says. “We started with one flight a week, and now we have eight flights a week. We have increased operations into Africa, new destinations. That is a core business we have, and I would like to see that continue even when I retire. It is quite satisfying to be involved in that. We supply major capacity for exporters, which is obviously good for the continent.” “We have been flying flowers out of Nairobi for almost all the


time we have been in business,” he outlined. “That has obviously been a mainstay of our company. “We have good offices in places that give us feedback, and we


can adapt our operations,” he explains. “We can stop on the way somewhere else and top up the flight with another destination. We understand the market, we travel extensively, and we work with good partners, so we can amend the routines quite easily. We have extensive control over those routines in the business. That helps us maintain stability for our customers.” Alongside Africa, the rise of the Middle East has also been a


www.aircargoweek.com


central focus for Network Aviation Group, as the area has grown from a modest trading stopover to a global aviation hub. When King first worked in the region in the 1970s, the scale was far smaller, but the strategic relevance as a transit point already existed. “It always had prominence as a transfer point, even back in the


1950s and 60s,” he recalls. “Dubai and Sharjah were stops on the route to Australia. The rulers built on that. Now it is not so much trade, it is more passengers, but the cargo side is still important. There are no political issues here. It is very smooth operations, and the airlines are very successful.”


Talent and continuity As Network Aviation Group marks its 40th anniversary, leadership and talent development form a central part of its long-term strategy. King and co-founder Andy Leslie shaped the company since inception, but both recognise the need for fostering the next generation of emerging leaders to maintain operational consistency and customer relationships. “You have to hand over at some stage, but you have to do it in a


way that is sympathetic,” King says. “You are moving customers into dealing with new people, but it works well. We have a new generation of leaders. We are very pleased with the way they encompass the business. Our business is in good shape. The team taking over will be able to provide the same level of service, if not better.” On a regional basis, for King, Africa is both the origin of his own


career and the company’s enduring commercial heart. Growth from one weekly flight to eight, with larger aircraft and increased capacity, has reinforced its role in regional exports and development. Looking back across four decades, King is clear that the success


of the company couldn’t have come without the hard work and dedication of so many colleagues, partners, suppliers, and families over the years. “I would like to thank the staff who have made it possible, our customers, suppliers, and our


families,” he concluded.


continue as we move on. People should be confident in the team taking over. We will continue along the same way. That is important


“We will

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16