Cargo Facts EMEA 2019: Digital infrastructure to become defining element of successful hubs

Just what will a successful cargo hub look like in the future? Although space for expansion and improvements to existing physical infrastructure are important, panelists discussing the topic during this week’s Cargo Facts EMEA Symposium in Frankfurt agreed that digital runways will become just as crucial to the success of an airport’s cargo operations as the physical runways.

Airports currently dealing with large volumes of express and e-commerce shipments are already seeing a need for better digital infrastructure but increasingly, even general cargo will benefit from the visibility of a digital and connected supply chain, said Bert Selis, cargo & logistics manager, Liege Airport. “We think that cargo should speak more and more, and all the people involved should communicate less,” said Selis. For European airports like Liege, and a number of airports elsewhere, that often means building a data-enabled cargo community where airport stakeholders can share data.