Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport and IT service provider Dakosy are to launch a digital cargo portal for shippers of dangerous goods at the German hub.
The entire dangerous goods process will be fully digitised, a first for the industry it is claimed.
The portal communicates all shipment details and dangerous goods-specific data completely electronically through only one interface – from the shipper to the airline. The launch of a pilot phase is planned for early May.
Ulrich Wrage, chief executive of DAKOSY, said: "With the shipper portal, we are solving another significant challenge of the air cargo supply chain. Our solution will considerably simplify processes for all users across company borders.
"The ever closer collaboration with Fraport as a strong partner for this innovative product allows us to contribute to drive forward the digital transformation in the air cargo industry on a consistent and ongoing basis."
The legislation prescribes that every dangerous goods shipment requires a Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD). Due to documentation errors, there are delays for "a significant portion of dangerous goods," said the partners in announcing their cooperation agreement.
With the new portal, these errors are usually identified and corrected well in advance of arrival at the airport.
Additionally, time-consuming manual entries are no longer necessary. As a result, delays and related costs can be avoided.
Underlining the benefits of the new portal, Anke Giesen, Fraport’s executive director operations, said: "The portal enables all players of the airfreight supply chain to make the process faster, more reliable, and more transparent. We at Frankfurt Airport are thus once again underscoring our position as an innovation leader in airfreight."
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