Hamburg Airport Takes Off for the Digital Future with the Air Cargo Platform FAIR@Link

Hamburg, October 30, 2019: More sustainability and transparency as well as faster and more efficient processes for the companies involved in air freight handling - these are the challenges set by Hamburg Airport, together with a pilot group and the software specialist DAKOSY. Today, the new FAIR@Link portal - after a six-month test phase - goes into full operation for digitally-supported air cargo handling at Hamburg Airport Cargo Center.

The air freight market has undergone many changes in recent years. Express service providers have set new standards for the shipment of air freight goods, which focus on faster processing times and thus increase the pressure on the classic air freight market. Hamburg Airport was one of the first German airports to react and push ahead with the digitalization of processes, confirms Alexander Müller, Head of Cargo at Hamburg Airport: "The new platform is an important step into the digital future for us. With FAIR@Link, we can significantly improve handling processes and manage the increasing volume of traffic on the ground more efficiently. At the same time, we increase sustainability and promote environmentally compatible growth for the location.”

With FAIR@Link, forwarders can book time slots for deliveries. This results in shorter waiting and handling times, more transparency along the transport chain and improved documentation for handling agents, who no longer need to re-enter duplicate data - thus avoiding mistakes and saving time. A particular advantage of digitalization is that the system can prepare export Customs declarations and then automatically submit the electronic forms to Customs upon entry to the Hamburg Airport Customs Office geofence area.

Slot booking makes planning easier

All participants have already noticed clear improvements in their processes during the pilot phase. In addition to Hamburg Airport and DAKOSY, the pilot participants included the forwarders CROSS FREIGHT, Delta-Stallion, a.hartrodt and SABLE, the handling agents LUG and Swissport, the Hamburg Airport Customs Office and the Hamburg Forwarding Agents Association (VHSp). 

Jens Sorgenfrei, Managing Director of CROSS FREIGHT Internationale Speditionsges. mbH, sums up the advantages for freight forwarders: "Transports pre-registered via FAIR@Link are handled preferentially by the handling agents at the airport. The slot bookings save us several hours every day. Processes are easier to plan. All in all, we benefit in Customs and door clearances."

Dr. Jürgen Vogt, Managing Director of LUG, also sees it as positive from the viewpoint of handling agents: “With slot booking, our EDP system receives all information before the arrival of the goods. The data does not have to be entered again when the document is received. This enables us to save a lot of time and speed up the receiving process. With FAIR@Link, we gain more transparency into all processes and can better manage our capacities with regard to door and personnel availability.”

The platform was developed by DAKOSY, which also operates the Port Community System for the Port of Hamburg and the Cargo Community System for Frankfurt Airport. Ulrich Wrage, CEO of DAKOSY, is pleased that his company can support the digitalization process at Hamburg Airport: "Through connectivity and intelligent process support, FAIR@Link can optimize the physical processes between companies and achieve significantly faster and more transparent processing. In addition, the platform promotes ecological concerns, as optimized traffic management and reduced check-in and waiting times lead to CO2 savings. And it saves paper, too."