Mumbai airport receives IATA certification on paperless

Mumbai airport has received e-freight compliant certification by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for adopting the initiative to go paperless for the air cargo operations.
This initiative aims at minimising and subsequently eliminating the vast quantity of paper documents the air cargo industry relies on to support movement of air freight, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said in a release.
MIAL is a joint venture between state-run Airports Authority of India and GVK-led consortium, with each having 26 per cent and 74 per cent holding respectively.
IATA, in 2006, had launched the e-freight initiative with the endorsement of the members of the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG) with an objective to replace paper in air cargo operations with the exchange of electronic data and messages.

An average air cargo shipment generates different paper documents, many of them in multiple copies, resulting in increased shipment processing times and costs.
"MIAL is proud to be a part of IATA e-freight initiative and it sincerely appreciates the support extended by IATA to enable it achieve this significant milestone," MIAL Chief Executive Rajeev Jain said.

This certification is a significant milestone in airport's environment initiative, it said, adding the process of digitising air cargo handling will continue at the airport as one of its key drives which will support and benefit air cargo industry.
The e-freight compliance involves air carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, shippers and customs authorities to effectively streamline processes, cut costs and improve speed and reliability.

Some of the benefits of e-freight compliance include process efficiency, productivity, improved quality and reliability, cost savings and environment-friendly operations.