What Air Cargo Trader does

Air Cargo Trader LLC (ACT) is a Dubai-headquartered, privately held air cargo and multimodal logistics company founded in March 2004. The company acts as a General Sales Agent (GSA) for airlines, providing sales, marketing, and operational representation in markets where the principal lacks its own offices — most notably a multi-decade engagement with Emirates SkyCargo, alongside Garuda Indonesia and Fly Dubai Cargo. ACT serves airlines seeking cost-effective international market entry, freight forwarders and shippers requiring competitive cargo capacity, and end customers in verticals such as fashion, electronics, healthcare, and humanitarian aid that need time-critical or specialized movement of goods.

ACT's core product set comprises four service lines: GSA airline representation, Sea-Air Multimodal Transport (SAM) routing cargo via sea freight to Dubai and onward by air, bespoke cargo and passenger charter brokerage, and aircraft leasing (ACMI/wet and dry). Supporting capabilities include air-to-air transshipment through Dubai's bonded zone with Switch AWB capability for rerouting, a Combined Transport Document for end-to-end governance, and real-time shipment tracking. SAM is positioned as delivering 25-40% cost savings versus direct air freight and 30-50% faster transit than sea-only transport. The technology footprint is operational logistics software rather than proprietary AI; there are no patents, AI research, or ML disclosures in the available data.

The company operates with a 12-person core team plus a network of subcontractors and agents, supported by a 24/7 operations function and offices in Dubai (Cargo Village headquarters) and Chennai, India, with appointed associates across other regions. Revenue is generated through commission or fee arrangements on GSA mandates, brokerage fees on charter transactions, transaction fees on aircraft leasing arrangements, and service fees on transshipments. Pricing is custom and quote-based rather than tiered or published. The company is founder-owned and led by Chairman & CEO Capt. Osman Farah and Global Head of Operations and Commercial Irfan Tungekar, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Air Cargo Trader

Legal name

Air Cargo Trader LLC

Website

https://actww.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Cargo Trader is a Dubai-headquartered air cargo GSSA and multimodal logistics company serving airlines and freight forwarders with Sea-Air transport, charter brokerage, and aircraft leasing services from a 12-person team operating in the UAE and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Cargo Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Freight Charter Operators (THABAEAD), ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators (THABAEAC)

Keywords

• Air cargo logistics
• Airline GSA representation
• Sea-air multimodal transport
• Cargo charter brokerage
• Aircraft leasing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. GSA Representation Services: ACT acts as General Sales Agent for airlines, providing sales, marketing, and operational support. Revenue generated through commission or fee arrangements with airline partners for maximizing their cargo sales and market presence in regions without own offices.
2. Aircraft Charter Services: Charter brokerage services for cargo and passenger aircraft. ACT coordinates charter flights including securing aircraft type, obtaining flight permits, arranging ground handling, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Revenue through brokerage fees or service charges.
3. Aircraft Leasing (ACMI/Wet and Dry Lease): Facilitation of aircraft leasing arrangements including ACMI (wet lease) and dry lease agreements. ACT connects clients with reliable operators for both short-term and long-term operational needs.
4. Transshipment Services: Sea-Air and air-to-air transshipment services through Dubai hub. Revenue generated through service fees for multimodal transport coordination, customs clearance, and cargo handling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Air Cargo Trader (ACT) is a Dubai-based logistics provider that acts as a General Sales Agent (GSA) for airlines, brokers cargo and passenger charter flights, and facilitates aircraft leasing (ACMI/wet/dry). The company also offers Sea-Air Multimodal Transport (SAM) routing cargo via Dubai to global destinations, plus air-to-air transshipment services with switch AWB capability.

Product overview

Air Cargo Trader (ACT) is a logistics company offering a unified service portfolio centered around air cargo and multimodal transport solutions. The core offerings include: Airline Representation via GSA services for sales and operations management, Sea-Air Multimodal Transport (SAM) combining sea and air freight via Dubai hub, Charter Services for bespoke cargo/passenger flights, and Aircraft Leasing with ACMI/wet-dry options. Additional services include Air-to-Air Transshipment with switch AWB capability and an online booking portal. The company operates from Dubai with offices in India, serving global markets across Europe, America, Africa, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Sea-Air transport reduces transit times by 30-50% compared to sea-only shipments while saving 25-40% vs direct air freight
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Emirates SkyCargocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing GSA partnership with Emirates SkyCargo spanning over two decades. ACT has received multiple Top Cargo Agent Awards and Special Recognition Awards from Emirates SkyCargo (2006-2019). ACT represents Emirates SkyCargo's cargo business in key markets.
• Garuda IndonesiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSA representation partnership with Garuda Indonesia. ACT received Token of Appreciation from Garuda Indonesia in 2011 for service excellence.
• Fly Dubai CargocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSA partnership with Fly Dubai Cargo. ACT was awarded Cargo Agent of the Year 2013 by Fly Dubai Cargo.
• International Shipping LinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong relationships with international shipping lines for Sea-Air multimodal transport solutions, enabling priority access to cargo space and smooth transitions between sea and air transport modes.
• Global Airlines NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong relationships with global airlines providing access to air freight capacity and enabling Sea-Air solutions, charter services, and aircraft leasing arrangements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chapman Freeborn: Specialist air charter broker covering cargo, passenger and ACMI/lease brokerage globally. Direct competitor to ACT on charter and ACMI/wet-lease facilitation, with a comparable transaction-fee model and shared customers in freight forwarding and humanitarian logistics.
• Air Charter Service: Global air charter broker arranging cargo and passenger charters worldwide. Highly comparable to ACT's Charter Services line, with broader global coverage but overlapping product, customer base (freight forwarders, shippers) and brokerage revenue model.
• Air Partner: Long-established air charter broker (now part of Wheels Up) arranging cargo and passenger flights plus jet cards. Overlaps directly with ACT's charter brokerage and serves similar freight forwarder and enterprise clients on a fee/commission basis.
• Global GSA (AVIAX GSA): GSA representative group specializing in airline cargo sales representation across multiple regional markets. Closely comparable to ACT's core GSA offering — same intermediary airline representation model, similar target customers and commission revenue structure.
• ECS Group: World's largest GSSA group, owned by GEODIS, representing numerous airlines in cargo sales. Most direct comparable to ACT's GSA Representation business — same intermediary role between airlines and local cargo markets, same commission-based revenue model, but at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Magma Aviation: UK-based air cargo charter and ACMI operator serving time-sensitive and outsized cargo. Comparable to ACT on cargo charter and ACMI, though Magma operates aircraft rather than acting purely as a broker, making it a partial/emerging overlap.
• Western Global Airlines: US-based cargo ACMI/wet-lease and charter operator serving freight forwarders and integrators. Comparable to ACT's ACMI/wet-lease facilitation line, but operating aircraft directly and competing for the same pool of charter customers on transcontinental lanes.

Regional players

• Saudia Cargo: Middle East-based scheduled all-cargo airline. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates from the same Dubai/Middle East ecosystem as ACT and could be both a partner (GSA principal) and a regional competitor for cargo capacity in overlapping lanes.

Broad incumbents

• Avia Solutions Group: Global aerospace group providing ACMI/wet-lease, charter, MRO and related services. Comparable to ACT's Aircraft Leasing line as both operate in ACMI/wet-lease intermediation, though Avia is much broader, owns airlines (SmartLynx, etc.) and acts as operator rather than pure broker.
• Worldwide Flight Services (WFS): Large global air cargo ground handling, GSSA and cargo operations provider. Overlaps with ACT's airline representation and cargo handling activities, but at vastly greater scale and across a much broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-cargo-trader-llc
• Facebookfacebook.com/actwwdubai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Cargo Trader