Location Flight Services logo
FAQs · Airline GSA

Airline GSA questions — services, desk hours and how to enquire

Everything an airline typically asks before appointing LFS as its GSA or GSSA in the Gulf, MENA and India, in one place.

The service
What does an airline GSA actually do?
A General Sales Agent represents an airline in a market where the airline has no office of its own. LFS sells passenger and cargo capacity to the local trade and corporate market, handles authority and airport liaison, reports and remits sales, and — where mandated — supervises the ground handler on the day of operation.
What is the difference between a GSA and a GSSA?
GSA usually refers to passenger sales representation; GSSA (General Sales and Service Agent) is the cargo equivalent. LFS holds both kinds of mandate — passenger GSA, cargo GSSA, or a combined commercial and supervisory station agreement.
Can LFS represent an airline that does not fly to the market yet?
Yes. Offline representation is a large part of the work: keeping the trade engaged, taking interline and cargo bookings where the airline's systems allow, preparing authority introductions and building the market ahead of a route launch.
Which markets does LFS cover with its own staff?
Bahrain (OBBI), Saudi Arabia (OERK and OEJN, extendable to OEDF and OEMA), the UAE (OMDW and OMAA, with OMDB under the same agreement) and Egypt (HECA, extendable to HEGN, HESH and HEAL). Other markets are covered through the vetted LFS agent network under one commercial contact.
How are sales reported and remitted?
Sales are collected, reconciled and remitted against the airline's reporting calendar, through the airline's chosen settlement channel, with local bank handling where the market requires it.
Does a GSA mandate include supervision of the ground handler?
It can. Supervisory station work — handler appointment and oversight, turnaround attendance, delay coding, loadsheet and fuel verification, invoice checking — is available individually or combined with the commercial mandate.
Desk hours by market
24/7 duty desk
Bahrain GSA-OBBI
Sun–Thu 08:00–18:00 AST · 24/7 duty desk outside hours
Manama, Bahrain — LFS head office and OCC · Arabic · English
Saudi Arabia GSA-OERK-OEJN
Sun–Thu 08:00–18:00 AST · 24/7 duty desk outside hours
Riyadh & Jeddah stations, coordinated from the Bahrain OCC · Arabic · English
United Arab Emirates GSA-OMDW-OMAA
Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 GST · 24/7 duty desk outside hours
Dubai World Central & Abu Dhabi stations, backed by the Bahrain OCC · Arabic · English
Egypt GSA-HECA
Sun–Thu 09:00–18:00 EET · 24/7 duty desk outside hours
Cairo International station, coordinated from the Bahrain OCC · Arabic · English
Outside local office hours every market rolls to the LFS 24/7 duty desk in Manama — the same desk that runs global trip support — so night arrivals, irregularities and AOG situations are never left waiting.
The enquiry process
How do I start a GSA enquiry with LFS?
Send the enquiry form on any GSA page, email OPS@LFS.AERO, or message the desk on WhatsApp. Tell us the airline, the markets of interest, whether you need passenger GSA, cargo GSSA or supervisory station work, and your current or planned frequencies.
How fast does LFS respond to a GSA enquiry?
Enquiries are acknowledged in under 60 minutes during working hours, and immediately for time-critical operational matters. Every enquiry lands with the 24/7 duty desk, not an answering service.
What happens after the first exchange?
The relevant market desk replies with a draft mandate scope — commercial, station or both — plus references and a proposed reporting calendar. Commercial terms follow once the scope is agreed.
Is there a single point of contact across markets?
Yes. However many markets the mandate covers, the airline keeps one commercial contact and one operational contact at LFS; per-market desks report into the same Bahrain operations control centre.
Market-specific questions
Bahrain · OBBI
Is LFS actually based in Bahrain?
Yes. LFS is a Bahrain-registered company with its operations control centre in Manama and its own staff at Bahrain International Airport (OBBI).
Can LFS represent an airline in Bahrain before it starts flying?
Yes — offline representation is common here. We keep the trade and the authority engaged, take interline and cargo bookings where the airline's systems allow, and prepare the market for the route launch.
Does the Bahrain mandate include cargo?
It can. We act as cargo GSSA at OBBI, placing capacity with local forwarders and supervising the cargo handler in the warehouse and on the ramp.
Who covers the station outside office hours?
The LFS 24/7 duty desk in Manama, which is the same desk that runs our global trip support — so night arrivals and irregularities are never left to an answering service.
Saudi Arabia · OERK / OEJN
Does LFS cover both Riyadh and Jeddah under one agreement?
Yes. OERK and OEJN are handled under a single Saudi mandate, which avoids splitting reporting, invoicing and authority correspondence between two agents.
Can LFS support Hajj and Umrah charter programmes?
Yes. Seasonal charter programmes into Jeddah are supported commercially and operationally, including slot and PPR coordination and handler supervision for the extra rotations.
Does LFS deal with GACA directly?
Yes. We file and follow up authority correspondence on the airline's behalf and keep a named local counterpart available to the regulator.
Can other Saudi airports be added?
Yes — Dammam (OEDF) and Madinah (OEMA) are LFS stations and can be added to a Saudi mandate as the schedule grows.
United Arab Emirates · OMDW / OMAA
Why does LFS lead with OMDW rather than OMDB for cargo?
Al Maktoum International has the freighter infrastructure, ramp space and warehousing depth that cargo mandates need, and slot pressure is materially lower than at Dubai International. OMDB is still available under the same agreement where the airline's schedule requires it.
Can LFS represent a carrier in Abu Dhabi and Dubai together?
Yes. A single UAE mandate can cover OMAA, OMDW and OMDB, with one reporting line and one invoice rather than separate agents per emirate.
Does the UAE mandate include supervisory station work as well as sales?
Yes. Commercial representation and supervisory station management are both available, individually or combined.
Who handles the authority side?
LFS deals with the GCAA and the airport operators directly, with permits and slots filed by our own desk.
Egypt · HECA
Does LFS have its own presence in Egypt?
Yes. Cairo (HECA) is an LFS station, alongside Hurghada (HEGN), Sharm el-Sheikh (HESH) and Alexandria (HEAL), so a Cairo mandate can extend to the Red Sea fields.
Can LFS handle local sales remittance?
Yes. Collection, reconciliation and remittance of local sales are part of the commercial mandate, with the settlement paperwork handled in-market.
Is cargo representation available in Egypt?
Yes — cargo GSSA covering capacity sales, documentation and supervision of the cargo handler at Cairo.
Can Red Sea leisure stations be added?
Yes. Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are frequently added for seasonal and charter programmes under the same Egyptian agreement.