Awery Aviation Software – three pillars, four players

The software philosophy over at Awery, Tristan Koch tells me, is based on three pillars: better process control, best customer experience, and more efficiency overall. During the course of our conversation, the words “flexibility” and “customization” fall quite a lot, alongside “change management” and “facilitation”. Themes that run through the company’s approach to solution development. What began in 2009 as an initial support to cargo airline management, including modules on crew management, accounting, and HR, has meanwhile grown to a broad pallet of between 90-110 useful features within the Awery ERP [enterprise resource planning] system (which is available both as a Cloud version as well as Hosted), an eBooking platform called CargoBooking.aero with an intelligent eMagic email reader and converter. Awery serves a whole host of customer segments: Airlines, Cargo GSA/GSSAs, Air Charter Brokers, Aviation Service Providers, Freight Forwarders & Cargo Agents, Express Operators & Couriers, and eCommerce.

CargoBooking and customer boom
When it comes to CargoBooking, Awery is already in fourth place behind WebCargo, cargo.one and CargoAi. It has developed its platform as a white label, meaning that GSAs can offer the platform under their name. Customer interest has grown over the summer (CargoBooking was launched last year), with many new customers signing up. “The user experience is key,” Tristan tells me. And, because complexity in the industry is growing and it generally takes 6-7 months to onboard a new colleague with regard to all the rules and regulations, the opportunity to make bookings online simply and safely, using intelligent software, is increasingly attractive.

Dangerous developments…
… Or ‘partnering for progress’ would be a less misleading subtitle. One such example where Awery’s software solutions remove the complexity from the reservation process, is its recent announcement on 20SEP22: Awery has partnered with the leading Dutch software provider specialized in solutions for dangerous goods and chemicals management, DGOffice B.V., to integrate DGOffice’s Notification to Captain (NOTOC) module into its Enterprise Resource Planning platform. This move will enable all customers to provide instant dangerous goods documentation as per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) dangerous goods guidelines, regulations, documentation, and packaging. “Integrating our NOTOC module in Awery's platform allows users to comply instantly,” says Vivian Labrecque, Head of Commerce, DGOffice B.V., referring to the standard procedure that requires the notification to the aircraft captain of any dangerous goods on board, along with their loading position. “This partnership will advance safe, secure and simple bookings,” she continues.

Tristan Koch, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Awery, explains: “By partnering with DGOffice, we are able to further streamline and digitise the booking process. Awery's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform provides full cargo management capabilities to airlines, including real-time information on capacity and routings facilitating an instant search, quote, compare, and book solution via a customer portal, by email, or Application Programming Interface (API). The addition of an integrated auto NOTOC feature is another important milestone in our development.”

Rapid expansion and growth
Alongside partnerships with other software providers to enhance process flows and product development – for example, Awery’s partnership with IBS Software (IBS) earlier this year, allowing it to deliver its CargoBooking and eMagic software platforms to IBS' iCargo customers – the company, which currently numbers 52 staff, is looking to hire many more software experts and is planning on a payroll of 80 by the end of next year. “We are normally based in Kyiv,” Vitaly Smilianets tells me, “But, as we are able to work remotely, we are currently spread in different countries.” I recall the speed at which Awery reorganized its geographical set-up at the start of the Russian invasion, in the same flexible and solution-oriented manner that is apparent in its overall work approach.

As a final question, I ask about the meaning of the company name “Awery”, expecting a deep, philosophical consideration. Vitaly tells me: “It’s basically 2 points: 1) I wanted a name that starts with A, because 60% of airlines have names beginning with A, and 2) it’s pretty much the letter set-up on a keyboard – similar to QWERTY,” he smiles.

Brigitte Gledhill


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