According to the IATA website, the current status of e-AWB penetration resides at just 35.4%. This has increased negligibly by 0.3% from October last year, when the figure was recorded at 35.1%. Guillaume Drucy, IATA’s head of cargo e-business management, had remained hopeful that this number would reach 38%-40% by the end of December, but the final figure fell considerably short.
Drucy said: “That is still short of the industry target of 45% but it is a very respectable growth figure for the industry which now has a monthly growth rate of between 1%-1.5%,” adding: “We have reduced the reliance on paper by greater use of e-freight. We still have a lot of work to do but we are nearly half-way in that endeavour.”
Despite the industry not meeting the target, Drucy was encouraged by the growing statistics, explaining that there are now “twice as many airports, forwarders and airlines which have an e-AWB penetration of above 50%,” compared to pre- initiative figures.
In response to queries over the ambitious 2016 target, Drucy explained that by next year around 70% of the world trade lanes will be able to process an e-AWB from a regulatory standpoint. IATA will also introduce a new, simple and low cost industry tool, aimed at the small and medium forwarder, which will also promote greater use of the e-AWB.
The most important initiative, he felt, will be the roll out of the eAWB360 programme that will aim to tackle the “final challenge of coordination synchronisation”.
“We already have 17 airlines committed to this project. They will launch in a synchronised and coordinated way in Amsterdam in January, then in London and Frankfurt in February, followed in March by another six airports,” Drucy asserted.
“What is also very important is that the airlines are making very clear statements that they are switching over to e-AWBs as the preferred means of shipping cargo.”
