Air cargo stakeholders have stressed they need flexibility built into a digitalisation project for truck handling operations at Heathrow Airport.
Attendees at an event to discuss the CCS-UK AIS (Advance Information System) portal for booking and monitoring trucks were concerned about whether and how well the frequently unplanned nature of air cargo operations would align with adoption of the AIS system.
Companies at the ‘The Future of Cargo Collection & Delivery at Heathrow’ event questioned how well equipped the system is to handle changes to schedules. However, ground handlers dnata and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) are already using AIS at Heathrow and indicated they were confident suitable adaptions can be made.
Jo Abbott, commercial and customer engagement manager at WFS, which handles around 400 trucks a day at Heathrow, said that pre-arranged AIS slot times are prioritised, but slot times could be pushed back where possible to accommodate changes to operations.
Likewise, dnata business analyst Laurence Cockburn stated that the handler supports flexibility with slots and if an AIS slot is already booked there would be potential to add an extra slot.
James Golding, head of cargo at Heathrow, which is currently redeveloping its ‘horseshoe’ cargo area, also pointed out that as AIS is further adopted and evolved it can be tweaked to suit the needs of businesses.
The British International Freight Association (BIFA)-organised event on October 24 aimed to demonstrate how AIS can tackle trucking congestion and associated supply chain delays and ultimately make truck handling more efficient, as the air cargo industry works towards being paperless.
Free for CCS-UK customers, AIS is designed to enable freight forwarders and their hauliers to pre-alert ground handlers of the arrival of a truck delivering or collecting cargo for priority, faster handling.
Speaking about AIS, which has new features including slot booking, e-collect and Airway Bill Watch to provide users with the live status of imports, CCS-UK user group project director Guy Thompson said current truck operations hinder air cargo business and the competitiveness of cargo at Heathrow.
“The AIS system aims to improve the logistics of truck movement between the forwarders, transport subcontractors and frontline transit sheds. It is a system for the entire air cargo community,” said Thompson. “There is a need for a single unified platform.”
Highlighting the costs that can mount up with trucks stuck in queues at the airport, frequently for over an hour, he said: “We are led to believe that trucks waiting to deliver or pick up cargo costs in the region of £60-80 per hour. This is an unnecessary burden that directly impacts (companies’) bottom line.
“By streamlining the logistics we aim to enhance to enhance the overall efficiency of cargo movements and thereby reduce the cost of transportation and handling.”
There are currently 90 forwarders and transport companies using AIS at Heathrow, while 3000 trucks are being processed through the system in a typical week and there are around 7,000 truck status updates.
The push for AIS comes as Heathrow is redeveloping the cargo East and West areas of the airport, with five new cargo facilities and truck parking available in a designated area nearby rather than within the complex.
This does mean that efforts to improve truck turnaround times are all the more important, Golding highlighted.
CCS-UK is now working with BIFA and Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) alongside transit sheds, forwarders and transport companies, to align with HAL’s and landlord SEGRO’s redevelopment to improve air cargo ground logistics, said Thompson.
See more insights from this event in our November Monthly Exclusive.
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