Air Canada Cargo launches Rivo platform for e-commerce service

Air Canada Cargo has rolled out its Rivo platform, the shipper-facing website element of the carrier’s new e-commerce delivery service. The service was quietly launched last week but did not include an official announcement from the airline. [caption id="attachment_83244" align="alignright" width="450"] Photo courtesy of Air Canada.[/caption] Air Canada announced its entry into e-commerce delivery during its 2020 third-quarter earnings call ; the e-commerce offering enables the integration of online merchants’ shipping processes into Air Canada Cargo’s network, with parcels scanned into the Rivo system on pickup and then distributed to destination cities in Canada via air. Current cities in Rivo’s distribution network include Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, with Ottawa to be coming soon, according to the platform’s site. No date is currently established for the Ottawa launch, but Air Canada is tentatively aiming for a launch in April, the carrier told Air Cargo World . Air Canada reported a 28% year over year increase in cargo revenue for 2020, to C$920 million (US$724 million). The carrier said in its 2020 analysis that it plans to continue to grow its focus on cargo in 2021 and that it expects to “generate incremental cargo revenue by entering the e-commerce business, providing specialized e-commerce delivery services using its existing fleet.” The focus on e-commerce service within Canada should be supportive of its Canadian cargo revenues as well, which fell by about 20% to C$90 million during 2020, even as trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific revenues increased. The Rivo e-commerce service offers three levels based on delivery window time, with the fastest delivery listed as “by 9:00 PM local the next business day,” a mid-range service level with a window of two to three business days, and the third offering service within four to five business days. Aside from the airfreight element, the Rivo service covers last-mile delivery with trucks picking up parcels at the airport or delivering them door-to-door for intra-city shipments. Each of the covered cities has select postal codes served through Rivo, with the metropolitan area-only covered in some cases and wider coverage available in others, Air Canada told Air Cargo World . The technology used in the Rivo service is provided by SmartKargo, an aviation-focused technology company that covers cloud computing, mobile platforms and data analytics, according to a LinkedIn post from SmartKargo CEO Milind Tavshikar . IT offerings under Rivo include tracking updates, API integration, and the option to configure alerts and notifications around shipments. Air Canada Cargo is not the first airline to pursue a door-to-door e-commerce offering with support from SmartKargo. In 2018, Brazil-based Azul selected SmartKargo for its e-commerce integration among other cargo services, and Aerolineas Argentinas partnered with SmartKargo in 2019 to develop a door-to-door e-commerce service. Air Canada Cargo ranked No. 31 on the most recent Air Cargo World Freight 50 ranking of the world’s top carriers, based on 2019 traffic.

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