As they have stated in several occasions, document digitalisation is a priority for IATA. Francisco Rizzuto, IATA’s Cargo Manager for Western Europe has declared e-freight as one of the association’s priorities for Spain in the coming years.

The current paper document process leads to numerous errors in the data when copying it digitally or due to losing important documents accompanying the goods. These types of problems could be avoided if the information was shared digitally, which would also mean an important improvement in freight tracking. This is the mission of IATA’s e-freight project which intends to supress paper documents in the air shipments, replacing them with electronic information exchange and messages. IATA’s objective is to digitise all the currently existing documentation in the shipment’s Pouch until achieving the ePouch or digital Pouch. This is a process which is already requested by the agents in the logistics chain and that replicates the digitalisation process carried out in the air passenger industry.

The digitalisation process starts with the eAWB (electronic Airway Bill). Based on this, the digitalisation of the rest of the documents is developed until achieving a complete document digitalisation or ePouch.

The digitalisation process doesn’t only mean saving of paper, but it also improves traceability and management agility, helping to optimise the air freight logistics chains, saving the involved agents time and costs, and providing the logistics chain with improvements in the reception of incoming trucks, procedures with the Public Administration and freight tracking ability.

Air Freight Solution is the platform that responds to the e-freight needs in the Iberian Peninsula, interconnecting Spanish air logistics with the digital future. This platform will allow the Spanish logistics agents to increase their competitiveness and efficiency, improving their agility and ability to manage information between each other and with the Public Administration.