New CCS-UK module accelerates air deliveries, collections across U.K.

U.K.-based airfreight body CCS-UK has gone live with its CCS-UK Advanced Info module, which allows freight agents and transport companies working on their behalf to pre-alert handling agents about loads being delivered. By automating these processes, CCS-UK Advanced Info is designed to speed up deliveries to, and collections from, transit sheds at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

So far, the module is in the hands of a select group of six companies in the LHR cargo community, which are using the module while CCS-UK continues to develop the application. Eventually, CCS-UK said it hopes to deploy the module across the entire airfreight logistics sector.

“CCS-UK Advanced Info is a major step towards eliminating inefficiency and cost in the UK air cargo industry,” said CCS-UK User Group chairman Steve Parker, who added that the module was provided free of charge to group members.

The advanced information – including vehicle, driver, cargo type, handling agent and estimated time of arrival – will be submitted either through a web portal or sent direct from the forwarder’s own system, depending on the user and their frequency of use. The module drills down to house air-waybill level and can submit electronic consignment security declarations (eCSD). More frequent users have the option of automating messaging. The information will then be accessible to all relevant parties in the supply chain.

Earlier this year, the airfreight trade body launched CCS-UK Fallback, which provides an electronic safety net in the event of a major outage of the customs computer. CCS-UK Fallback allows traders to continue logging trade data in circumstances when they are unable to upload to a central trade database.

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