ACU March 2022-LR

COVER STORY
Frankfurt Airport
digitalizes vehicle
movement for
seamless freight
processing
Faced with increasing cargo volumes, Frankfu
Airpo has turned to digitalization to make be er
use of its existing infrastructure and resources
while facilitating seamless operations.
By Ayesha Rashid
he pandemic
has
accelerated
the
digitalization
of air cargo processes
and paved the way for
the emergence of
tech-ridden and
innovative trends to
create a seamless
movement of goods
throughout the
supply-chain.
The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) pointed out in its 2021
report for global air cargo markets that
the demand for digitalization in the
industry is on upward trajectory as the
world transitions to a more fast-paced
digital transactions.
To cope with the rising demand for
global e-commerce industry, the
distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and
other medical supplies, compounded by its main mission of facilitating global trade
through the safe transportation of general and special cargo, the airfreight industry is
forecast to steadily grow in the foreseeable future.
Against this backdraft and the congestion of shipments at various international ports,
digitalization is proving invaluable to speed up the flow of the movement goods.
According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global digital freight
forwarding market generated $2.92 billion in 2020. It is anticipated to reach $22.92 billion
in 2030, manifesting a CAGR of 23.1%.
Frankfurt Airport, Europe’s largest and one of the busiest
In 2021, about 261,927 aircraft took off and landed at Frankfurt Airport, up by 23.4
percent year-on-year compared to 2020 but still below the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
While these aircraft movements account for both passengers and cargo, there’s no
denying that a significant portion of the volumes account for various goods.
Fraport AG, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, said cargo throughput at the airport in
2021, comprised of both airfreight and airmail, grew by 18.7 percent year-on-year to
about 2.32 million metric tons—the highest annual volume ever achieved in the history of
Frankfurt Airport.
A breakdown by the two cargo subcategories reveals that airfreight was the main driver
behind this growth, while airmail continued to be affected by the lack of belly capacity on
passenger aircraft.
Introducing FAIR@Link
Amid increasing volumes of cargo, Fraport introduced in 2015 a neutral data platform
known as FAIR@Link, then considered an important milestone of digitalizing the process
at Frankfurt Airport.
AirCargoUpdate
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