Cathay Pacific Airways rolls out electronic airway bills in Hong Kong
05 Jan 2011
Cathay Pacific Airways today announced it has rolled out electronic airway bills (e-AWB) in Hong Kong for the airfreight industry.
e-AWB eliminates the need for all paper documents when issuing airway bills, the shipping documents used for the transportation of airfreight.
The airline said the benefits of e-freight include shortening the shipping cycle, reduced costs, faster customs clearance, the elimination of problems resulting from loss or misplaced documents.
''The e-AWB programme will simplify the current process and bring improved operational efficiency and accuracy for the airfreight industry in Hong Kong, helping it to play a leading role in the industry worldwide,'' said Cargo Nick Rhodes, director, Cathay Pacific.
The initiative covers all online destinations from Hong Kong to which Cathay Pacific and sister airline Dragonair fly. The airline added that it plans to implement e-AWB services from all its overseas stations by the end of 2012.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had selected nine countries / territories and airlines in which to run the e-AWB pilot programme, including Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific.
Electronic freight is one of the initiatives under IATA's simplifying the business programme, which aims to change the way the air transport industry operates and result in better service for cargo operators and lower costs for the industry.
IATA targets to have 100-per cent e-AWB globally by the end of 2014.
