Emirates SkyCargo today announced that from today, electronic air waybills will be used for all the shipments from its Dubai hub.
The air freight division of the UAE flag-carrier said the IATA e-AWB initiative aimed to remove the requirement for paper contracts used for air cargo transport.
Emirates SkyCargo argued that eliminating the need to print, handle or archive paper air waybills brought benefits throughout the supply chain.
Senior VP for Cargo Revenue Optimisation & Systems Pradeep Kumar said: “The transition to e-freight is a massive challenge.
“Change on this scale requires time and many steps have been made, but this really is a giant stride forward.
“Eliminating paper AWBs from our hub demonstrates our commitment to meeting IATA’s deadline and bringing enhanced operational efficiency to the supply chain.”
The IATA e-AWB scheme is one part of the global association’s push to remove every paper document and certificate from the industry by the end of 2014.
According to IATA, each air cargo shipment includes as many as 30 paper documents – enough to fill 80 B747 freighters every year. The whole purpose of e-freight is to take the paper out of the air cargo supply chain – instead replacing it with speedier electronic messaging.
This saving on paper alone would potentially save the airline industry a staggering US$4.9 billion annually, with a reduced cycle time averaging 24 hours.
Kizzi Nkwocha | Mon, 31 Oct 2011, IFW News