IATA rates Mumbai International Airport as e-freight compliant

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has rated GVK-Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (GVK MIAL) as e-freight compliant for adopting paperless initiatives at the air cargo operations in Mumbai.

This initiative aims to minimise and subsequently eliminate the vast quantities of paper documents the air cargo industry relies on today to support movement of air freight. An average air cargo shipment generates up to multi different paper documents, many of them in multiple copies, resulting in increased shipment processing times and costs.

The e-freight compliance involves air carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, shippers and customs authorities to effectively streamline processes, cut costs and improve speed and reliability. Some of the benefits of e-freight compliance are Process efficiency, Productivity, Improved quality and reliability, Cost savings and Environment-friendly

In its roadmap towards achieving 100-per cent e freight in cargo operations, IATA has outlined three core components:

• Engaging regulators and governments worldwide to create an 'e-freight route network' with fully electronic customs procedures and where regulations support paperless shipments.
• Working collaboratively within the cargo supply chain to digitise the core industry transport documents, starting with the air waybill.
• Developing a plan to digitise the commercial and special cargo documents typically accompanying airfreight today, in or outside of the 'Cargo pouch'

In 2006, IATA had launched the e-freight initiative with the endorsement of the members of the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG). The objective behind e freight was to replace paper out of air cargo operations with the exchange of electronic data and messages.

GVK MIAL played a vital role in consolidating and integrating the various parties involved in the air cargo supply chain, subsequently laying the foundation to e-freight adoption at Mumbai. This has resulted in expeditious processing, quality improvement and substantial time savings in cargo operations.