Swiss WorldCargo to pioneer paperless cargo management process

Swiss WorldCargo has been selected by IATA to pioneer the
introduction of a new 'e-freight' facility. With preparations in top
gear from November on, "No paper, thanks!" will soon be the Swiss
WorldCargo motto: from the beginning of next year, Switzerland's
quality cargo carrier will record and handle cargo consignments in
electronic form. The new approach is not only good news for the
environment; it will simplify processes, enhance transport quality
and save money, too.

"We are honoured to be chosen by IATA to trial e-freight in a
practical working environment and help this new facility achieve its
worldwide breakthrough as swiftly as possible," says Markus Loeffler,
Senior Manager e-freight at Swiss WorldCargo. "We see our selection
as a 'paperless pioneer' by the airline sector's umbrella
organisation as a clear confirmation that Swiss WorldCargo is one of
our industry's most innovative cargo service providers. But we also
view it as an incentive and a commitment to further refine this
forward-looking cargo handling approach."

The new e-freight facility will initially be introduced at Zurich
Airport - again on IATA's initiative. In practical terms, this means
that not only Swiss WorldCargo but all the parties involved in the
local logistics chain will exchange their consignment details online.
The corresponding portal will thus include links to Zurich's
forwarders, handling agents and distribution agencies, and to the
Swiss customs authorities.

IATA's overall aim is to ensure that air cargo consignments are
handled electronically as extensively as possible by the end of 2010.
This will save a vast amount of paper - an annual volume that would
fill 39 Boeing 747-400 freighters, the association has calculated. It
should also save the partners in the logistics chain worldwide a
total of USD 1.2 billion a year - provided all these partners are
electronically linked up and are prepared to make the switch to the
paperless handling approach.

If they are, no fewer than 13 of the traditionally written import and
export documents currently used in the airfreight business - from
certificates of origin to waybills, packing lists and declarations -
should become paperless. These 13 documents alone account for up to
60 per cent of the present paper mountain.

"E-freight represents a quantum leap in the air cargo sector," says
Oliver Evans, Chief Cargo Officer at Swiss International Air Lines.
"And as one of its pioneering practitioners, Swiss WorldCargo will be
playing a key role in ushering-in this new paperless era."

Swiss WorldCargo is the air cargo division of Swiss International Air
Lines Ltd. (SWISS). With its global network of over 150 destinations
in more than 80 countries and its broad range of airfreight products
and services, Swiss WorldCargo adds genuine value for its customers
and makes a substantial contribution to SWISS's overall earnings
performance.

Note to editors:
For further information on Swiss WorldCargo, photo material and/or
interview arrangements please contact:

Bernd Maresch
Director
Head of Marketing & Strategy
bernd.maresch@swiss.com
Phone +41 44 564 5050

or visit www.swissworldcargo.com

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:
Copyright © Hugin AS 2008. All rights reserved.