Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and its cargo partners are combating long truck wait times at the hub through the introduction of a new Smart Cargo Mainport Program initiative, “Digital Planning.”
Key players in Schiphol’s air freight chain signed a Best Effort declaration on Monday, committing to the far-reaching digitalisation of the landside cargo import and export processes.
Handlers, truckers and forwarders, along with representatives from Schiphol Airport and Air Cargo Netherlands, gathered to sign the statement to implement the new way of working.
Congestion has been a long-running challenge for air cargo hubs across the world, especially regarding the trucking of freight in and out of the airport, and costs supply chain stakeholders money, impacts the environment, and demotivates employees.
To put an end to this, the new system will optimise landside processes by drawing up a clear system of agreements that enable digital planning between handlers and air freight truckers.
The realisation of this plan will mean that anybody who comes to deliver or collect air freight at Schiphol must first request a time slot digitally through a central platform – if the time slot is granted, parties can then go directly to a handler’s loading door.
Vehicles with unregistered freight will have to wait in a buffer parking lot, which will be developed with a reporting and calling system, from where they will be called as soon as their handler has the capacity.
This new framework will be made possible through the introduction of a set of business rules managed by trade organisation Air Cargo Netherlands, along with a new central planning portal which will be built by Cargonaut and SmartLOXS.
Handling facilities will also be upgraded with decentralised capacity planning systems.
Digital Planning is being developed in close consultation with future users within the Smart Cargo Mainport Program.
Support and coordination regarding secure data sharing will also be provided by the national Digital Infrastructure Logistics (DIL) program within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, informed a release.