interview
Des Vertannes, global head of cargo at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), believes that the e-Freight initiative is supporting a process that will dramatically change the way we all do business
How would you describe the e-Freight programme to someone who is unfamiliar with the initiative?
The e-Freight project is focused on removing paper from the supply chain, which currently comprises as many as 30 different paperwork documents, from the air waybill to the certificate of origin. Facilitated by IATA, e-Freight converts 20 of those documents into electronic messages, resulting in numerous benefits for the air cargo supply chain. The project is an industry-wide initiative, involving carriers,
freight forwarders, ground handlers, shippers, Customs and civil aviation authorities.
What are the main advantages associated with the project?
e-Freight can reduce the costs associated with removing, handling, transporting and storing paper. It also speeds up the process because transport documentation ‘arrives’ at destination before the cargo, enabling the process of Customs clearance to be initiated earlier. IATA has seen, on average, a 24-hour improvement in cycle times when e- Freight is used. e-Freight also improves the quality and accuracy of the
data transmitted, due to the use of one-time electronic data entry at point of origin, thus improving the quality of the whole transportation process. These benefits will dramatically change the way we do
business. IATA estimates that the possible savings every year amount to US$4.9 billion for the supply chain.
18 AIR LOGISTICS CHINA
Today, the e-Freight network is in place. By the end of 2010, 44 countries and 98 major airports were e-Freight live”
We hear that e-Freight has been slow to start up in some areas –how advanced is the whole programme?
Today, the e-Freight network is in place. At the end of 2010, 44 countries and 98 major airports were e-Freight live. The first phase of the project – to build a critical mass of e-Freight locations and the suite of standards – was successfully achieved. From just six pilot locations in 2007, the implementation
of e-Freight had expanded rapidly by the end of last year to include locations that represent 80 percent of international air cargo volumes. The next phase of the project aims at increasing the e-Freight volumes on the existing trade lanes.
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