Air cargo is a booming segment within the airline industry with a significant share of revenues. The challenges facing the industry are manifold especially lagging IT infrastructure upgrades. In the next two decades, air cargo traffic is expected to go beyond thrice its current size, out-pacing passenger traffic and thereby providing airlines with greater revenue-generation opportunities.
The air cargo business is swiftly shifting focus from general cargo to highly specialised cargo verticals. In this evolving business scenario, traditional stakeholders of the air cargo industry will need to deploy data analytics and data mining technologies for creating bespoke products for air cargo, which are distinct from those for the passenger business. Airport Cargo Community Systems bridge the gap with regards to standardisation of processes and technological needs of the air cargo value chain.
Most of the major airports across the globe have Airport Cargo Community Systems (ACS) for information exchange between its various stakeholders. These structures constitute a Single Window System for Trade. The Trade Facilitation agreement by the World Trade Organisation aims to help make trade across borders (both imports and exports) faster, cheaper and more predictable, while ensuring its safety and security.
An Airport Cargo Community System (also referred to as Cargo Community System (CCS)) is a neutral and open electronic platform aiding intelligent and secure information exchange between its stakeholders. It is a crucial tool in optimising operational efficiencies and enabling digitalisation of the end-to-end air cargo value chain
