News / To charge or not to charge? How airlines can boost e-freight

07/06/2019

The air cargo industry’s paper chase continues – but with less fanfare, and at a greater pace than before.

American Airlines Cargo is now up to 75% e-air waybills (eAWB) on compliant trade lanes – finding that its decision to charge forwarders fees, an idea pioneered by Lufthansa ...

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Sam O E Okpro
June 13, 2019 at 7:55 pm
Whilst it is encouraging to see the uptake of eAWB, the real challenge will be e-freight where the document owners will have to be fully responsible for the electronic transmission of pertinent documents. With the USA, EU, UK and Canada implementing their versions of the Pre-Loading Advance Cargo Information – PLACI program and the USA enforcing it’s Air Cargo Advance Screening – ACAS program starting effective 15Jun19, I am confident that more Countries will implement and enforce their versions of PLACI in the near future.

Given that we as an industry react very well to Regulatory enforcements, I believe that airlines charging forwarders for eAWB electronic transmission will be a short term successful strategy. We must now start preparing the SME Supply Chain Members to start document transmission of other documents (not just MAWB’s & HAWB’s) with cost effective platforms and be prepared to meet the PLACI requirement that Business Partners (Airlines / Freight Forwarders / GHA’s etc.) will need to have the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure the exchange of required data with the Authorities by:
– providing 24/7 point of contact for the communication of response protocols by the Authorities and
– exchange required data with each other electronically prior to shipment loading

We should start looking forward to e-freight and full digitization now that eAWB penetration will be improved by Regulatory enforcement.

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