Cover Story Industry Issues
speeding up the process with reliability of data.
Shabana Khan Senior Director – airfreight DHL Global
Vipan Jain Regional Head-Logistics Lufthansa Cargo
Keki Patel Cargo Manager-India and Nepal, Emirates SkyCargo
Lufthansa managed to hit the first shipment under e-freight from Bengaluru on September 15, 2010. “This journey never stopped and with and without having all trade partners on board, we are continuing it with forwarders. Basically, we have four major supporting partners in the whole chain, i.e. forwarders (eAWB or FWB), carriers, terminal operators, customs and nearly all partners are prepared. However, we need to create a connectivity and regular chain to accept and exchange documents,� said Jain. Keki Patel, Cargo Manager-India and Nepal, Emirates SkyCargo, underlined the fact that meanwhile leading carriers in India have taken the initiative together with IATA on the e-freight project, which enables all logistics partners, including customs authorities and security to exchange electronically the processing of export and import air consignments. “Emirates wherever possible together with our forwarding partners have migrated to paperless AWB as a first step, and yet printing of the AWB is available on need basis only, for regulatory authorities,� he informed. Ashish Kapur, Regional Cargo Manager–South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways emphasised that e-freight can greatly improve both forwarders and airlines’ operational efficiency. It also helps in shortening the shipment cycle time by electronic customs clearance. However, this project cannot be successful, if only a few airlines and forwarders participate. There has to be a critical mass to influence all countries to adopt the future e-freight process.
“We at Cathay Pacific Cargo are convinced that e-AWB and e-freight are the most efficient procedures for the cargo industry and that is the way forward. Therefore, we have prepared all our countries, including India, to begin e-AWB and e-freight with our forwarder customers,� said Kapur. He also pointed out the challenges that the air cargo industry faces in India as it still uses paper documents to clear export customs, which are normally not required in e-freight enabled countries. “The understanding of our forwarders on this project and the e-AWB data quality is also very important. When Cathay Pacific first rolled out the e-AWB project these challenges were faced in every new location,� Kapur shared. “If we take the example of e-AWBs, we can clearly see the benefits e-freight will bring to the industry. There would be far fewer handling delays brought about by missing or illegible AWBs. As well as making customers happier, this can also help reduce the risk of fines at customs. Beyond
We at Cathay 3DFL¿F &DUJR DUH convinced that e-AWB and e-freight are WKH PRVW HI¿FLHQW procedures for the cargo industry and that is the way forward� Ashish Kapur Regional Cargo Manager–South Asia, Middle (DVW $IULFD &DWKD\ 3DFL¿F $LUZD\V
Ashish Kapur Regional Cargo Manager–Cathay Pacific 26 I CARGOTALK I MARCH 2013
WWW.CARGOTALK.IN