Digital Pulse: Air cargo industry migrates to e-booking

The air cargo industry is increasingly relying on technology for processes such as booking, payment, warehouse management and even flight education. Nordic airline Wideroe announced this month it will implement e-booking from WebCargo by Freightos ; Silk Way West Airlines purchased a full flight simulator L3Harris ; Eastern Air Logistics adopts technology company cargo.one ’s online booking platform; Lufthansa Cargo connects global freight forwarder DB Schenker to its API booking interface; and logistics service provider Hazgo implements digital checklists from technology company Nallian . E-booking, emissions calculations Wideroe will use the WebCargo by Freightos platform to deliver real-time rates, capacity information and e-booking . Forwarders now have access to air cargo shipments from Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom through Wideroe. Wideroe, which uses emissions-friendly turboprop planes, according to a company release, is turning to WebCargo partly for environmental reasons, as it now has access to the platform’s CO2 calculator , which allows forwarders to make booking decisions that help reduce emissions. “International freight shipping is a major contributor towards greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for roughly 2.1 billion tons, or 7%, of total world emissions,” a Freightos spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . The carbon calculator tool, launched last year, allows users to estimate and compare emissions for specific shipping routes and modes. “Freightos recognizes the immense challenges for global freight to achieve net zero and we’re committed to help achieve that by bringing visibility to 2 billion tonnes per year of invisible GHG emissions from freight services,” Freightos Chief Executive Zvi Schreiber told Air Cargo Next . “Armed with this visibility, the industry can better approach the challenging mission of decarbonization.” The CO2 calculator was a key draw for Wideroe to WebCargo. “The CO2 emissions calculation done by the platform is something that we in Wideroe welcome,” Cargo Manager Thomas Lone said in a release. “It enables the customers not only to take an active choice when it comes down to the price, but also the impact on the environment.” Optimizing crew costs [caption id="attachment_57136936" align="alignright" width="300"] Seated from left are Silk Way Group Senior Vice President of Finance Mirsamad Movsumzade, L3Harris Head of Commercial Jitte van den Bout and Azerbaijan National Aviation Academy First Vice-rector Adalat Samedov. (Photo/Silk Way West Airlines)[/caption] Azerbaijan-based Silk Way West Airlines purchased a 777-200LR Interchange Reality7e full flight simulator from American technology company L3Harris for its Flight Training Center at the Azerbaijan National Aviation Academy . “We are pleased to sign this agreement that will give us an invaluable advantage in optimizing our crew cost,” Silk Way Group Chief Financial Officer Mirsamed Movsumzade said in a release. “Moreover, having this simulator located in Baku brings more flexibility and convenience in planning of crew training. This is an excellent way to maximize our efficiency.” The full flight simulator will include a Boeing 777-200LR interchange to enable Silk Way West Airlines to offer training for its cargo operations, as well as the option to allocate excess training time to other B777-F and 777-200LR operators. The simulator, planned to be installed and ready for training by September 2024, is designed to increase the training capacity of the carrier’s qualified and trainee pilots, enabling them to keep pace with future demand for aviation services in Europe. Online booking across Asia Shanghai-based Eastern Air Logistics, the logistics arm of China Eastern Airlines , has adopted cargo.one ’s real-time digital booking platform. [caption id="attachment_57136937" align="alignright" width="300"] Representatives of Eastern Air Logistics and cargo.one celebrate EAL’s adoption of the tech company’s platform. (Photo/EAL)[/caption] Eastern Air Logistics harnesses the scale of China Cargo Airlines ’ dedicated Boeing 777 and 747 freighter fleet, as well as belly capacity in nearly 800 China Eastern Airlines passenger aircraft. The carrier offers flights to 184 countries and regions, and has cargo facilities at several Chinese hub airports. “Our close collaboration with the cargo.one team over the past months stands out and forcefully boosts our trajectory to become the most innovative integrated logistics service provider,” Jonathan Xu , general manager of logistics solutions business department at EAL, said in a release. Over the past year, cargo.one has expanded its participation in the Asia Pacific market, specifically in China, Japan and Singapore “We are extremely fortunate to have partnered with major Asian cargo carriers, such as ANA Cargo , early on,” cargo.one founder and co-Chief Executive Moritz Claussen told Air Cargo Next . “Asia was behind Europe and North America in the early days of digital air cargo booking, but, in Eastern Asia specifically, our partnerships with all three of Japan’s home carriers, Singapore Airlines Cargo and both Hongyuan [Group] and Eastern Air Logistics, has helped cargo.one to attract more freight forwarders and accelerate our Asia Pacific growth trajectory further.” API connection for bookings DB Schenker established an API connection for bookings to Lufthansa Cargo in a global rollout this month. [caption id="attachment_57136938" align="alignright" width="300"] Lufthansa Cargo connects global freight forwarder DB Schenker stations worldwide via API booking interface. (Photo/Lufthansa Cargo)[/caption] Lufthansa Cargo’s smartBooking API is a digital interface that digitally maps the booking process for customers and partners. Through the interface, customers receive information on up to 40 routes per product with the corresponding best prices directly into their booking system; all offers are fully validated and immediately bookable. This eliminates the need for duplicate data entry. “At Lufthansa Cargo, we rely on digital solutions that offer our customers clear added value — be it in search and booking processes or the management of the same,” Lufthansa Cargo Chief Executive Ashwin Bhat said in a release. DB Schenker Executive Vice President of Global Air Freight Asok Kumar said in a release, “Direct access to Lufthansa Cargo’s dynamic pricing from our inhouse transport management system will boost the user experience. Our customers will benefit from the additional efficiency.” Digital checklists offer efficiency Belgium-based Hazgo, which specializes in the logistics and handling of dangerous goods and pharmaceutical shipments, has replaced its paper checklists with Nallian ’s digital checklist solution Check-it. The process is now fully digital, from completing checklists to automatically sending notifications and reports to status monitoring and analytics. [caption id="attachment_57136939" align="alignright" width="300"] A Hazgo employee uses Nallian’s Check-it solution. (Photo/Nallian)[/caption] “Previously, using paper checklists, I spent hours per week scanning paperwork and sending emails,” Hazgo Account Manager Peter Van Boxtel said in a release. “Customers received documents in an unstructured way, making it hard to know what information belonged to which shipment. Now they automatically receive notifications with status information and reports per shipment. They can also consult their shipment status in the platform.” Actions are registered in real-time with timestamps. Check-it also enables users to analyze operations and see areas of improvement and stagnation. “Check-it digitalizes any question-based check or task,” Nallian Chief Executive Jean Verheyen said in a release. “It is used by ground handling agents, freight forwarders and logistics companies across the globe.” Join Air Cargo Next for the second Air Cargo Tech Summit on Monday, Sept. 18, and Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place in Belgium. For more information on the summit and to register, click here .

Digital Pulse: Air cargo industry migrates to e-booking

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