GROUND services provider Swissport has started to use self-service check-in kiosks for airfreight at its cargo warehouses, in a bid to ease congestion.
Brussels and Amsterdam Schiphol are among the first airports to deploy the system. The company aims to have the systems operating across its core cargo station network by December 2021.
The kiosks identify drivers picking up cargo from Swissport warehouses and scan air freight documentation. The truck drivers are then told which gate to drop off the cargo via text message.
Swissport International vice president Hendrik Leyssens was quoted as saying in a report by London's Loadstar: 'Truck drivers benefit from minimal wait times and faster turnarounds.
'Our new kiosks support the paperless eFreight initiative by IATA (the International Air Transport Association) and significantly accelerate the import and export processes for our customers.'
The firm said the service also enables shipping information to be entered via a kiosk web portal by forwarders, and customers can link their IT systems with Swissport's database by using an application programming interface - API).
'During the document check, the kiosk system, which is connected to the EU Regulated Agent database, also checks the security status of every shipment,' it added.
Brussels' airport has also launched a Road Feeder Management app, to enable trucking companies to provide real-time updates on estimated arrival.
Swissport is only the latest air cargo service provider to introduce self-service kiosks. Last year, Alaska Air Cargo and Delta Cargo in the US both launched self-service kiosks, for airfreight retrieval and electronic air waybills, respectively, reported New York's Air Cargo World.
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Brussels and Amsterdam Schiphol are among the first airports to deploy the system. The company aims to have the systems operating across its core cargo station network by December 2021.
The kiosks identify drivers picking up cargo from Swissport warehouses and scan air freight documentation. The truck drivers are then told which gate to drop off the cargo via text message.
Swissport International vice president Hendrik Leyssens was quoted as saying in a report by London's Loadstar: 'Truck drivers benefit from minimal wait times and faster turnarounds.
'Our new kiosks support the paperless eFreight initiative by IATA (the International Air Transport Association) and significantly accelerate the import and export processes for our customers.'
The firm said the service also enables shipping information to be entered via a kiosk web portal by forwarders, and customers can link their IT systems with Swissport's database by using an application programming interface - API).
'During the document check, the kiosk system, which is connected to the EU Regulated Agent database, also checks the security status of every shipment,' it added.
Brussels' airport has also launched a Road Feeder Management app, to enable trucking companies to provide real-time updates on estimated arrival.
Swissport is only the latest air cargo service provider to introduce self-service kiosks. Last year, Alaska Air Cargo and Delta Cargo in the US both launched self-service kiosks, for airfreight retrieval and electronic air waybills, respectively, reported New York's Air Cargo World.
WORLD SHIPPING