Air cargo community system launched at Atlanta Airport
17 / 12 / 2019
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airfreight community in Atlanta, and IT business Kale Logistics Solutions, have collaborated to create North America’s first air cargo community system (ACCS).
The ACCS allows stakeholders to communicate electronically with each other, as well as other stakeholders such as shippers, airlines, trucking companies, customs brokers, freight forwarders and cargo handlers.
The platform also facilitates and streamlines the movement of goods and information to and from the airport.
The ACCS platform is underpinned with the PayCargo payment system to give stakeholders visibility of the payment status, eliminating delays or unproductive truck trips for shipment pick-up from the hub.
On November 14, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport became the first airport in the US to launch such a system, following completion of the Proof of Concept in August and the switch-over initiation at the start of November.
Since operating ‘live’, the airport said the ACCS has been improving its airfreight operations by eliminating duplicate data entry work and excessive documentation, and reducing overall logistics costs to enable better supply chain planning.
Kale Logistics is also working with Microsoft to incorporate artificial intelligence into the ACCS, which will enable it to handle complex airfreight-related scenarios that could arise at the airport or elsewhere in the supply chain.
“It is a big thing for us to be involved with as these air cargo community systems are the future of the industry,” said Lionel van der Walt, PayCargo president and chief executive, the Americas.
“In Europe they have been leading the way, but this approach has only been established here for the first time in the US.
“The US is behind the curve at the moment and this is just the start, as other airports in the USA are also talking about setting up air cargo communities. It is something that is really needed by the airports to drive future growth.
“We are leading the way on the payment side and it is a natural progression for us to partner with companies for the future of air cargo in the US.”
