INTERVIEW | Marco Andrade: How GO enables AirX Charter’s strategic connectivity

Tell us about your company’s relation with GO.

Our relationship with GO started back in 2017. We quickly discovered that for GO, it was never a matter of just providing a service, but more about building a long-lasting relationship and growing together by being as approachable as possible. This was crucial because for a company like AirX, having our IT platforms, our cloud solutions and cybersecurity infrastructure fully aligned to the company’s business strategy, is absolutely critical, especially as the company is eyeing further growth.

How have these past months been?

Over the past months, the company has had to adjust to a changing market in fact, besides affluent single clients, recently, our service has started being sought after by people chartering private flights to travel as a group – a phenomenon amplified by COVID as people want to fly ‘safer’ by avoiding crowded airports and planes. The company is based in Malta, but we also have offices in the UK. We recently took our first step into the cargo flight sector after we converted an A340 from our already diverse fleet, into a cargo aircraft.

How does GO service AirX?

GO services AirX with broadband connections; mobile phones and mobile data connections as well as a SIP trunk with 3CX on the cloud to enable efficient connectivity between the company’s office at the airport and its main offices in SmartCity. Ours is a very mobile team, travelling frequently and always on the go and this is why they needed connectivity solutions on the cloud without being dependent on a system that required constant management. Therefore, as we looked for a connectivity partner, we knew that we wanted an organisation that could give us dependability and reliability. Today in fact, we are happy using SIP and many other services on the cloud, through GO’s services.

How in your opinion did GO differentiate itself from other service providers?

GO turned out to be the natural choice for AirX because it provided us with the full spectrum of services we needed to expand and build a robust connectivity system. Every time we found ourselves thinking and planning the implementation of future projects to support our digitalisation, we would find out that GO was already offering the services we needed. Therefore, for us, GO has always been the best and most natural choice for our growth prospects.

Business clients always expect a bit more from their providers…

Very true. In fact, we were very pleased when we found out that GO this year had launched a dedicated business support line – 21212121, exclusively for business clients. I think that an initiative like this goes a long way in bringing GO closer to the business community. In fact, I personally find it amazing how GO is constantly seeking to keep itself close to its business clients especially when one takes into consideration that GO’s services have been and remain critical to daily operations such as ours. I also add that support is always available at the tap of a button – the account executives are on call for anything that we may require.

Did you need specific support from GO throughout the pandemic?

Yes, in fact GO was particularly helpful during the pandemic when we suddenly needed to shift everything to the cloud and move our teams to work remotely. It was a big feat, but we managed to shift over 85% of employees to remote working, enabled by GO’s connectivity infrastructure and cloud solutions they use. This enabled us to transition from in-office, to remote working, in a much smoother and seamless manner.

What’s in store for AirX’s relationship with GO in the near future?

To date, we are very satisfied that GO has been able to provide us with a very good service, and that our team was always able to remain on top of things. Of course, having everything on the cloud makes it easier for us to manage things, including the remote management of devices.

We are now looking forward to opportunities of future collaboration with GO especially in terms of GO’s 5G service proposition.