Air cargo group aims to fix Madrid supply chain bottlenecks

Foro MADCargo, the association that seeks to promote airfreight in Madrid, has formed a working group to identify the stumbling blocks hindering cargo operations at Madrid-Barajas Airport.

The working group’s members include handling agents, forwarders, transportation providers and airlines – IAG Cargo, Swissport WFS, DHL Forwarding, Panalpina, DB Schenker, Cacesa, Ireneo Logística, FLF (Inditex) and Transemer among them.

Its aim is to implement mutually agreed procedures that could optimise operations across the various cargo terminals.

The main impediment to the efficient flow of freight at Madrid-Barajas is the long waiting times, whether for deliveries or loading of cargo. In order to ameliorate this problem, the working group wants to see coordinated deliveries with fixed time slots, as well as common delivery and pick-up processes across all handling terminals.

A special channel for dropping off secure cargo, open to accredited operators, is another action point.

Online safe driver updates for all handling agents are also on the list, as are changes to ULD procedures.

MADCargo said that work is already under way to design delivery procedures with agreed time slots for importers.

It is also consulting with customs on ways to expedite the dispatch of the most urgent shipments by processing advance cargo declarations for each piece individually, rather than for an entire planeload at once. Taking a leaf out of seafreight’s book, the working group is looking at activating that documentation as soon as an aircraft lands.

The next meeting of the group is scheduled for mid-June.