Lufthansa Cargo first to fly eFreight shipments from DAFZ

Anil Lulla, Lufthansa Cargo’s Regional Performance Manager, based in Dubai, said: “We have to change with the times and ensure that we protect and sustain our society by maintaining the ecological balance. eFreight is one of those shifts of progress which will keep the earth healthy for future generations. It is in this way that Lufthansa Cargo takes responsibility by investing in technological advances not only to reduce the carbon footprint but also to increase efficiency for the customer in the supply chain.

“The new paperless process not only reduces irregularities due to missing documents but it also makes the printing of documents a thing of the past, thereby saving time and cost for all. eFreight will reduce the use of paper by the cargo industry by staggering 64% - a great impact on the environment.”

Lulla said when sending cargo to these eFreight-capable destinations, customers in Dubai now have the option to not submit any documents to be flown, such as the Master Airwaybill, House Airwaybill, invoices, packing lists, etc (Master AWB copy will be required until December 31).

The Master Airwaybill information is electronically stored and transmitted by the carrier.  Such shipments will be processed according to IATA eFreight procedures.  The customers have the option to electronically transmit the other documents directly to the consigning party.

Documents which the customers wish to be flown will still be flown and processed as EAP eFreight documents.

The IATA eFreight initiative aims to make air freight more environmentally friendly and at the same time more efficient.  More than 30 Lufthansa Cargo stations around the world are already eFreight-capable, and the number is growing rapidly.  With its Frankfurt and Munich hubs also capable of transit eFreight, paperless freight on Lufthansa Cargo is no longer limited to point-to-point shipments.

With the implementation of eFreight, Lufthansa Cargo has completed the Electronic Airfreight Process Chain.  Customers are now able to process entire shipments - from initial booking to final delivery - without paper.

Lufthansa Cargo had its first eFreight shipments out of FG5 of Dubai Airport Free Zone on June 9. The shipment came from Hellmann Logistics destined for Stuttgart via Frankfurt; it was accepted and handled electronically by DNAT. Subsequently, Manna Cargo immediately began using the eFreight service as well, and now many other UAE customers are showing keen interest to utilise the paperless process.

UAE Sales Manager, Samuel Varghese said: “A big thank you goes to Hellman Logistics  and Manna Cargo  for supporting us with the first paperless shipments out of Dubai. All shipments transited smoothly from acceptance till delivery to the consignee. We would like to welcome all our valued customers to come forward and participate in eFreight, thereby strengthening their competitiveness by cutting costs and improving transparency and consistency throughout the supply chain.”