Open Skies
Open Skies is a UK-based, family-run freight forwarding company founded in 1994 that specializes in air, sea, and road shipping to and from the Middle East and North Africa, serving both businesses and individuals with IATA-certified packing and storage services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersGolders Green, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Open Skies does
Open Skies Ltd is a privately held, family-run freight forwarding company registered in England and Wales (company number 3214510), headquartered at The Grampians, 5 Grampian Gardens, Golders Green, London. Founded in 1994, the company has operated for over 30 years as a specialist in shipping to and from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, addressing the complex air-freight regulations and customs formalities that vary across this corridor.
The company's core product portfolio comprises six integrated services: Air Freight, Sea Freight, Road Freight, Storage, IATA-certified Packing, and Commercial Shipping. It handles a wide range of commodities including Personal Effects, Art & Antiques, Vehicles, Pharmaceuticals, Hazardous Goods, Live Animals, and Perishables. Open Skies is an IATA-accredited agent and maintains carrier partnerships with seven major flag airlines serving the MENA region (Emirates, Kuwait Airways, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian), enabling flexible routing across air, sea, and road transport modes. Road freight operations run in and around London and nationwide within the UK, while storage is supported by facilities with CCTV monitoring, guards, and alarm systems.
The business model is transactional: revenue is generated through per-shipment freight forwarding fees that vary by cargo type, weight, dimensions, destination, and handling requirements, supplemented by storage and packing fees. Pricing is custom-quoted rather than published, and customers engage through a consultative sales motion via phone, email, WhatsApp Business, and a website quote form. The company serves both commercial businesses and individual consumers, with no disclosed enterprise anchor customers. The technology stack is described as standard freight forwarding operations with no proprietary platforms, AI/ML capabilities, or API offerings, positioning Open Skies as a traditional services business rather than a digital freight platform.
Open Skies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Skies
- Legal name
- OPEN SKIES LTD
- Website
- https://openskiesltd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Open Skies is a UK-based, family-run freight forwarding company founded in 1994 that specializes in air, sea, and road shipping to and from the Middle East and North Africa, serving both businesses and individuals with IATA-certified packing and storage services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Open Skies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Golders Green
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Open Skies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Freight Forwarding Services: Open Skies generates revenue through freight forwarding fees charged for transporting cargo via air, sea, and road. Revenue is transaction-based, derived from shipping charges that vary by cargo type, volume, destination, and transport mode. Additional revenue streams include storage services and IATA-certified packing services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quotation based on shipment requirements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Open Skies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Skies is a family-run freight forwarding company providing air, sea, and road freight services with a primary specialization in shipping to and from the Middle East and North Africa region. The company offers IATA-certified packing for hazardous and fragile goods, both long- and short-term storage solutions with secured facilities, and handles commodities including personal effects, art and antiques, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, hazardous goods, live animals, and perishables.
Product overview
Open Skies is a family-run freight forwarding business operating for over 30 years, offering a unified suite of logistics services rather than a modular platform. The core product portfolio consists of six integrated services: Air Freight (for fast shipping), Sea Freight (for container-based maritime transport), Road Freight (for valuable goods and antiques), Storage (with security features), Packing (IATA-certified handling), and Commercial Shipping. These services are designed to work together to provide end-to-end freight forwarding solutions, particularly specializing in shipments to and from the Middle East and North Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Air Freight Air freight forwarding services for businesses and individuals offering competitive rates, fast shipping, and secure delivery of goods via partnerships with major airlines. Handles commodities including personal effects, art and antiques, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, hazardous goods, live animals, and perishables.
- Sea Freight International freight forwarding via sea freight including containers (FCL and LCL) and maritime transport solutions for businesses and individuals shipping internationally.
- Road Freight Road freight transportation of valuable goods, antiques, and personal effects operating in and around London and nationwide across the UK.
- Storage Comprehensive storage solutions for both long and short term needs with state-of-the-art security including monitored CCTV, guards, and multiple alarm systems.
- Packing IATA-certified secure packing and transport preparation for hazardous and fragile goods, ranging from household items to industrial equipment.
Companies that use Open Skies
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Open Skies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Open Skies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- EmiratescoreMajor airline partnership enabling air freight services. Emirates provides cargo capacity and routing options for Open Skies' freight forwarding operations to and from the Middle East.
- Kuwait AirwayscoreAirline partnership providing cargo transport services. Partnership enables Open Skies to offer flexible routing options through Kuwait for Middle East freight forwarding.
- Etihad AirwayscorePartnership with Etihad Airways for cargo services. Open Skies leverages Etihad's network for freight forwarding solutions to and from the UAE and broader Middle East region.
- Qatar AirwayscoreMajor airline partnership for air cargo services. Qatar Airways partnership provides Open Skies with cargo capacity through Doha hub for global freight forwarding operations.
- SaudiacorePartnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines for cargo transport. Enables freight forwarding services to and from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
- EgyptaircoreAirline partnership providing cargo services for routes to and from Egypt and North Africa. Expands Open Skies' geographic coverage in the MENA region.
- Royal JordaniancorePartnership with Royal Jordanian Airlines for freight forwarding services. Provides routing through Amman for shipments to and from Jordan and the Levant region.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Open Skies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Agility Logistics: Kuwait-headquartered global freight forwarder with deep MENA operations across air, sea, and road freight. Highly comparable given Open Skies' MENA specialization and multi-modal forwarding model.
- Aramex: Dubai-listed logistics company offering freight forwarding, courier, and supply chain solutions with strong MENA coverage. Comparable to Open Skies in regional focus and broad service portfolio including storage and packing-adjacent capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- DSV: Danish-headquartered global freight forwarder with air, sea, and road divisions serving 80+ countries. Overlaps with Open Skies on multi-modal forwarding, though DSV operates at vastly greater scale.
- DHL Global Forwarding: Global freight forwarding division of Deutsche Post DHL, offering air, ocean, and road freight plus customs brokerage. Operates broadly across all corridors including MENA, dwarfing Open Skies in scale but overlapping on every core service.
- Expeditors International: US-headquartered global logistics provider focused on air and ocean freight forwarding plus customs brokerage. Comparable on asset-light freight forwarding model and air freight intermediation through airline partnerships.
- Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Germany-based global freight forwarder with strong air, sea, road, and contract logistics offerings. Comparable multi-modal forwarding model and similar SME customer base alongside enterprise clients.
- Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with global air, sea, and road freight operations. Relevant incumbent comparable to Open Skies on multi-modal forwarding and IATA-style air freight intermediation.
- CEVA Logistics: Global supply chain and freight forwarding company (CMA CGM subsidiary) offering air, ocean, road, and contract logistics. Comparable on full-service forwarding, with notable MENA presence via its parent.
- DB Schenker: German-headquartered global logistics provider with land, air, and ocean freight forwarding. Comparable on multi-modal forwarding model and European heritage serving global corridors including MENA.
- C.H. Robinson: US-headquartered asset-light freight forwarder and third-party logistics provider with global air, ocean, and road forwarding. Comparable on intermediation model using carrier capacity rather than owned assets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Skies social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Skies compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Open Skies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Skies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Open Skies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open Skies M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open Skies
What does Open Skies do?
Open Skies is a family-run freight forwarding company providing air, sea, and road freight services with a primary specialization in shipping to and from the Middle East and North Africa region. The company offers IATA-certified packing for hazardous and fragile goods, both long- and short-term storage solutions with secured facilities, and handles commodities including personal effects, art and antiques, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, hazardous goods, live animals, and perishables.
Is Open Skies a public or private company?
Open Skies is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Skies founded?
Open Skies was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Open Skies based?
Open Skies is headquartered in Golders Green, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Open Skies make money?
One revenue line is on record: freight Forwarding Services.
Who are Open Skies's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Agility Logistics and Aramex. Broad incumbents are DSV, DHL Global Forwarding, Expeditors International, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Kuehne+Nagel, CEVA Logistics, DB Schenker and C.H. Robinson.
Does Open Skies have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Skies.