eFreight - General information
The eFreight project launched by IATA in 2007 aims to take the familiar paper documents that have been in use in the air cargo industry for decades out of the entire supply chain and to replace them with standardised electronic messages and regulated data exchange.
Today every single air freight consignment, irrespective of its size, requires up to 30 different paper documents, which results daily in high costs and longer transport times. For the air cargo sector, IATA eFreight therefore means simpler processes, less complexity and a reduction in the burden on the environment. The amount of documents that are still needed in the industry could fill 80 Boeing 747-400 freighters per year.
It is precisely this problem that the IATA eFreight initiative sets out to tackle. The aim is the long-term optimisation of the air cargo industry with all the partners across the supply chain.
Lufthansa Cargo has been steadily expanding its range of international paperless air freight services since 2008, when the initiative was launched. In autumn 2008 the Frankfurt-based company dispatched its first paperless consignment in Germany. As the lead carrier, Lufthansa Cargo is the major driving force behind the introduction of IATA eFreight in Germany and several other countries. Since autumn 2008, more than 3,000 paperless shipments have been dispatched.
A further step is the introduction of IATA eAWBs. The IATA eAWB, a sub-project of IATA eFreight, is specialised in replacing the master cargo air waybill with the electronic IATA CargoIMP Message FWB.
By the end of the year 2010, paperless air freight services are offered at all Lufthansa Cargo stations in Germany.