Liège Airport adopts Nallian cloud platform

Under a new partnership between Liège Airport (LGG) and Belgium-based Nallian, LGG will adopt Nallian’s Air Cargo suite, which will allow stakeholders at LGG to operate in an integrated way through data sharing on a secure cloud platform. Liège will start off by utilizing slot booking, export VAT recovery, freight consolidation, e-commerce declaration, cargo performance monitoring and Track & Trace applications to increase stakeholders’ efficiency in operations with other parties.

Brussels (BRU) and Heathrow (LHR) airports already leverage Nallian’s cloud capabilities to increase their efficiency and reduce costs among community partners. As another growing cargo hub, expansion of LGG’s cargo handling capabilities is paramount.

FedEx and ASL Aviation Group inherited LGG as a regional hub for cargo and freight handling through their respective acquisitions of TNT and TNT Airlines. Alibaba’s Cainiao Smart Logistics Network also announced its selection of Liège as a European hub in its global strategy. Meanwhile, capacity considerations at other airports have pushed some cargo flight to LGG. Notably, slot restrictions at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) resulting from its 80:20 rule not only spurred airlines to relocate flights, but also resulted in Volga-Dnepr Group subsidiary AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ (ABC’s) European hub relocation to Liège. These recent developments signal much more business, and need for efficiency, coming LGG’s way.

While Liège has already increased its physical capacity for cargo, future-looking technologies will enable it to process growing varieties of freight and cargo. As Steven Verhasselt, vice president, commercial, at Liège Airport, said during last week’s Cargo Facts Symposium in San Diego, long-term handling improvements at the airport will come down to advances in cloud-based technology.