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New airfreight data system passes first test

[ September 10, 2020   //   ]

The CCS-UK London Heathrow Airport air cargo community has successfully completed its first trial of IATA’s ONE Record technologies, which aim to replace the legacy Cargo-Imp and XML standards.

ONE Record aims to allow data to be easily and transparently exchanged between air cargo stakeholders, communities and data platforms and unlock the possibilities of a fully digital air cargo industry.

Working on behalf of CCS-UK, application development and data management specialist Nexshore built a ONE Record server based in the UK, to control the storage and transmission of the ONE Record data objects which form the core of the new concept. The server was built to the latest ONE Record standards, but was also designed to support earlier versions. In addition, security to the latest IATA specifications was built into the CCS-UK platform.

The Heathrow project – led by community provider CCS-UK and its User Group – took place between March and July 2020, and involved forwarder Geodis and Cathay Pacific Cargo, and their respective IT systems providers WiseTech Global and GLS. Interfaces to the participants’ systems were provided by Nexshore.  During the pilot, air waybill data was successfully exchanged between the parties and status updates provided.

Malcolm Fowler of the CCS-UK User Group (pictured) said: “We are delighted at how well this initial pilot has gone, but we need additional participants in order to test the system on a larger scale, under everyday working conditions and with higher traffic levels.

“ONE Record may not seem like the most important priority for the industry right now, but in fact there has never been a better time to adopt it. It delivers greater efficiency and potential cost savings, and low implementation costs. In addition, through the total transparency and uniformity it brings to the supply chain, it provides the kind of seamless data flows and visibility which shippers and consignees are demanding, and the traditional airfreight sector must provide, if it is to realise its full potential in the developing e-commerce boom.”

Meanwhile, financial platform PayCargo and tech firm Nexshore said they had developed the first integrated payment solution for the ONE Record initiative, which they will demonstrate at the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s ONE Record Hackathon on 11-13 September.

Users will be able to make and take payments online using different payment options and will benefit from other features such as account reports and refund assistance as part of the ONE Record single solution initiative.

“One of the objectives of ONE Record is to create opportunities for new value-added services as part of the much-needed push for the industry to fully digitize,” said Paycargo president and chief executive, Lionel van der Walt.

“Our payment system delivers just that, adding an important link to the digital chain, which will bring cost savings and expedite cargo release, keeping freight moving.”

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