Air cargo IT company allivate has signed Lufthansa Cargo as a new customer for its FAIR@Link platform. The cargo airline will use the FRA-OS module to further digitalize and accelerate import customs processes at Frankfurt Airport. Initially, FRA-OS will be deployed for those parts of Lufthansa Cargo’s e-commerce and general cargo business that are delivered via the Neutral Cargo Transfer Point (NFÜP).
FRA-OS is a module of FAIR@Link, the neutral platform for digital air cargo processes at Frankfurt Airport. The module supports the customs-compliant handling of consolidated import shipments by bringing together all relevant customs information in one place. It will enable customs procedures to be initiated partly automatically. In addition, shipment status information provides complete end-to-end traceability on the ground. For Lufthansa Cargo, the key benefit is the option of deferred customs presentation.
Under normal circumstances, customs presentation must be carried out by the handling agent immediately after an aircraft lands. With FRA-OS, however, authorized participants can arrange for goods to be presented to customs at a later point in time by freight forwarders operating customs-bonded warehouses at the airport.
Greater transparency from aircraft to warehouse
“This is made possible through continuous shipment tracking from the aircraft to the bonded warehouse. Thanks to this transparency, customs authorities allow customs presentation to take place anywhere within the customs area of Frankfurt Airport,” explains Matthias Hupka, Managing Director of allivate.
For Lufthansa Cargo, participation in FRA-OS means that eligible shipments can take a more direct route through the import process. Import cargo is transferred directly from the apron via the Neutral Cargo Transfer Point (NFÜP) to the freight forwarders. This eliminates one processing step. Previously, these shipments first had to undergo customs clearance in Lufthansa Cargo’s handling warehouse before they could be released.
“Thanks to the option of deferred customs presentation, we are able to hand over cargo to freight forwarders significantly earlier. Especially for time-sensitive e-commerce logistics, faster processes create tangible benefits for our customers,” says Tobias Braun, Project Manager at Lufthansa Cargo.
Expanding digital collaboration at Frankfurt
By joining FAIR@Link, Lufthansa Cargo also helps allivate expand the geographical coverage of the FRA-OS module at Frankfurt Airport. In CargoCity South, around 90 percent of the handling agents and freight forwarders already participate in the neutral platform.
The integration of Lufthansa Cargo marks another important milestone in the ongoing digitalization of import processes at Frankfurt Airport. The more stakeholders participate at the platform, the greater the opportunities to standardize customs procedures, reduce interfaces and accelerate cargo flows across the airport.
