New software to speed up e-commerce customs clearance at Leipzig/Halle
30 / 09 / 2019
New customs software at Leipzig/Halle Airport will ensure e-commerce shipments are processed more quickly and efficiently.
The ZODIAK software, developed and operated by the Hamburg software specialist DAKOSY, has been approved for all ATLAS customs procedures and is now being used at Germany’s second-largest air freight hub by ground handling service provider PortGround GmbH.
About 70 cargo planes land at Leipzig/Halle Airport every day, most of them loaded with parcels ordered via the internet. The new software has an integrated interface with the airport’s in-house IT systems and can thus process Customs information to automatically trigger Customs processes.
Ulrich Wrage, ceo of DAKOSY, says: “We are confident that with our support, Leipzig/Halle Airport will become an air cargo hub that pioneers the digitalization of e-commerce for the future.”
ZODIAK is used at the airport as an SaaS application (Software-as-a-Service) and simplifies the workflows for customs clearance of goods on site.
PortGround GmbH uses an electronic interface to send the flight manifest data (FFM) for all expected shipments to the DAKOSY customs software. This automatically extracts the relevant customs information from the manifests and triggers all pending customs processes.
For example, the first message triggered is the ICS declaration to the ICS (import control system) IT platform, as required for all EU imports from third countries. For air cargo, this must take place at least four hours in advance of reaching the first airport within the EU.
If the value of a shipment exceeds €22 , then upon landing ZODIAK also triggers the summary declaration to customs and automatically initiates customs import duty processing.
“The new customs software expands our comprehensive logistics portfolio and supports us, especially in the steadily growing e-commerce business. As the fifth-largest cargo airport in Europe, we need to seize the opportunities offered by digitalization. With DAKOSY, we have a reliable partner who contributes a great deal of technical, logistical and Customs know-how,” says Alexander König, managing director of PortGround GmbH, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG.
