The Competence Center Airmail has lauched its new future-oriented IT-system called MALTA. The acronym stands for MAiLTrAcking. Unlike its aged host-based predecessor, MALTA bases on two components - the stand-alone MailAgent and the central unit MailSystem.

MailAgent is an autonomous system designed for peripheral operation at our handling stations. Being independent of the Lufthansa system architecture it is "multi-airline"-capable on that account. MailAgent is a generic application consisting of handheld scanners and a commercially available PC for information transmission. Data are relayed via MLD(mail label data)-format according to IATA-standards capacitating the system to communicate with our central unit as well as with any other state-of-the-art airmail handling system.

MailSystem is our central unit for internal data handling. Its chief tasks are the provision of status messages to our customers and the information transfer to our accounting system. Further important functions are tracking and tracing of mail receptacles, creating status reports and compiling data for statistical purposes. MailSystem is a modern Java application only internally accessible via Lufthansa intranet.

Together the two components enable the Competence Center Airmail to provide its customers with status reports via CARDIT/RESDIT-exchange throughout the entire transportation chain of a mail receptacle. MALTA also meet the IPC's (International Postal Corporation) requirements for FoMba (future of mail by air).

The implementation of our new airmail handling system at locations worldwide is rapidly progressing.