Top 10 Air Cargo World technology stories of 2021

This year's challenging landscape of capacity crunches, rising rates and various supply chain disruptions has encouraged digitalization efforts among airfreight operators to optimize their cargo capabilities, improve supply chain visibility and streamline system processes. We at Air Cargo World have selected 10 of our top technology stories, in no particular order, to provide an overview of how airfreight stakeholders are using digitalization as a critical tool to move the industry forward. Cargo.one goes live in North America with 18 airline partners Air cargo stakeholders have embraced digital booking this year, joining various platforms or launching their own e-booking capabilities through application programming interfaces (APIs). Germany-based e-booking platform cargo.one went live in North America earlier this year, enabling freight forwarders in the U.S. and Canada to gain access to digital booking capabilities to many global destinations. Air Canada Cargo, ANA Cargo, Etihad Cargo, Finnair Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo and TAP Cargo were the first airline partners to go live. [caption id="attachment_97196" align="alignright" width="320"] (Photo: dnata)[/caption] dnata launches drone ops at DFW warehouses Dubai-based ground handler dnata has been investing in technology over the past year and a half, and began using drones at its Dallas (DFW) warehouses in October. The drones can map out the environment, collect inventory data and read barcodes, and have a 99% accuracy rate. Digital booking makes capacity accessible to smaller forwarders With available capacity strained by allotments and charter services by larger enterprises, digital booking has become a valuable tool for small-and medium-sized freight forwarders (SMEs) to digitally access airline cargo capacity. The convenience, dynamic rates, instant booking, tracking capabilities and transparency of online booking platforms allow SMEs to offer quicker solutions. [caption id="attachment_97082" align="alignright" width="300"] (Photo: WFS)[/caption] WFS digitalizes EMEAA operations with CHAMP Cargospot Mobile app Worldwide Flight Services digitalized its cargo management system in the European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian region using Cargospot Mobile, an application from IT solutions company CHAMP which will help standardize systems across the company by eliminating manual processes, the need for additional equipment and more. The application will also boost visibility through up-to-date status information regarding freight shipments. ANA looks to commercialize drone delivery by 2022 with Wingcopter This year has seen a significant rise in drone operations to help deliver pharmaceuticals and consumer products to communities that lack delivery infrastructure. In April, Japan-based ANA Holdings started trials with Germany-based drone company Wingcopter for [caption id="attachment_95316" align="alignright" width="300"] ANA and Wingcopter carried out the first trials in western Japan. (Photo/Wingcopter)[/caption] unmanned electric vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing aircraft. The company plans to create a cohesive delivery network for pharma goods and consumer products. Unisys software adds piece-level status, location tracking for cargo shipments Considering the volatile supply chain, visibility has been more important than ever. In turn, many companies have been looking to increase operational transparency, including U.S.-based IT company Unisys which launched a software function that enables airlines to track specific pieces of a cargo shipment. The tracking functionality integrates directly with the Unisys Cargo Core application, allowing full control over the entire shipping process. Spire Global and TAC Index to launch live tracking data system for air cargo U.S. space data analytics company Spire Global Inc. and air cargo data publisher TAC Index Limited partnered in June to launch TAC Space, a tool that utilizes satellite data to track weekly available capacity on the airfreight supply market. Raw satellite aircraft movement will be processed by TAC Index, which then allows cargo flows to be mapped and monitored. [caption id="attachment_97291" align="alignright" width="321"] (Photo: Lufthansa Cargo)[/caption] Lufthansa Cargo joins German digitalization project German carrier Lufthansa Cargo and the German Federal Ministry of Transport (BMVI) joined forces on a new air cargo digitalization project in September that will fuel air cargo-specific research to improve networking in the country’s airfreight industry. Accompanying documents can be made digital through the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) ONE Record which creates a single-record view of the shipment. Digitalized temperature and position data, along with images, will also be made readily available. ECS Group launches Cargo Digital Factory to drive digitalization efforts ECS Group recently launched Cargo Digital Factory, a team of air cargo and information technology (IT) experts dedicated toward improving operational efficiency. The Cargo Digital Factory has developed a trio of products that provide visibility, tracking and pricing and quotation capabilities. [caption id="attachment_97239" align="alignright" width="300"] The Freightos Air Index (FAX) was announced at the 2021 World Cargo Symposium in Dublin.[/caption] Freightos launches air cargo index Freightos Data launched the Freightos Air Index (FAX) in October, a free index for air cargo prices. The FAX is set to publish weekly on Sundays, with distributed updates to subscribers on Wednesdays. Freightos’ new index will include pricing information under a Global Index, along with visibility across weight breaks, trade lanes and airport pairings. See also: Carriers and freight forwarders on air cargo technology trends

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