ECS Group has added a new service centre to expand its back-office service offerings, citing growing demand for the outsourcing of airway bill verification.

The new Squair Service Center is located in Mumbai and the first in Asia for the group.

ECS said the new team in Mumbai who has been operating since February following 2 months of intensive training, will perform the AWB data capture activity for existing Squair customers and allow for future growth opportunities, especially in Asia.

The new team complements the existing Squair team based in Sofia, Bulgaria that has been providing both AWB verification and customs reporting services to international airlines across 12 countries since 2019.

“There is a growing interest amongst airlines to maximise efficiency in their processes. AWB verification is a necessary, resource-intensive, yet non-revenue-generating activity,” said Adrien Thominet, executive chairman of ECS Group.

“India is the perfect location for our Verify service expansion as it offers an abundant and skilled workforce with competitive unit costs and increases our time zone coverage.”

Squair India has been carrying out AWB verification on behalf of a leading airline operating from Spain and The Netherlands, with plans to extend the geographical coverage to more European countries.

The Squair team in India currently has five people and aims to grow to 20 by early next year.

“In the initial phase, our team in India is building on the ‘Verify’ expertise of our team based in Bulgaria, where they are familiar with the specifics of the European markets. The long-term plan, however, is to establish dedicated Verify support for airlines located in and serving the Asian markets, operating in the same time zone as our Indian Squair Service Center.”