Royal Jordanian started implementing the e-Air Waybill (e-AWB) system, which was developed in cooperation with the airline’s Information Technology Department and CHAMP Cargosystems (CHAMP), a global IT provider serving the air cargo industry.
e-Air Waybill is one of the initiatives of IATA’s Simplifying the Business (StB) program launched a few years ago. It has become an industry-wide initiative involving carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, shippers and customs authorities. It aims to take the paper out of air cargo and replace it with electronic data and messages.
RJ President/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat said Royal Jordanian’s cargo sector is the second fundamental arm of the company. He stressed that RJ is eager to offer state-of-the-art services to its customers and agents in order to meet their demands and ease freighting services.
“This e-AWB initiative further re-enforces the ongoing partnership between Royal Jordanian and CHAMP and provides real benefits to the community by increasing the digitization of the air cargo process leading to increased efficiency,” said Nicholas Xenocostas, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing at CHAMP Cargosystems.
“We are delighted that RJ has taken this step in the region; this will significantly simplify the air freight supply chain process, in addition to greater data accuracy,’’ Xenocostas added.
Obeidat said that in 2009, RJ started applying the best-in-class IT solution — Cargospot — to automate freight procedures, covering all aspects of air cargo sales, reservations, pricing, management information and cargo handling.
He also said that the e-AWB system that RJ is implementing is a comprehensive Internet-based application that allows RJ to safely and efficiently empower its freight customers to perform the most essential tasks for cargo booking and data capture.
Obeidat noted that the system is bound to increase the volume of cargo on the RJ aircraft. He pointed out that the 24-hour self-service application enables cargo agents anywhere in the world to look up flight schedules, check capacity, create real-time bookings and manage bookings completely unassisted.
He said that the e-AWB system connects directly with the electronic system that is applied at the Jordanian Customs Department and other concerned parties, thus easing and accelerating clearance of goods and delivery to the consignee.
The RJ president praised the state-of-the-art technology and procedures followed at the Jordanian Customs Department, pointing to the cooperation between RJ and the department.
The e-AWB system is bound to benefit the Jordan cargo community, including shippers, freight forwarders, customs authority, ground handling agents, customer airlines and Royal Jordanian.
In order to acquaint local travel agents with the new system, RJ organized training courses for them about the services and facilities offered by the system.
Royal Jordanian cargo sector plays a key role in boosting the economy of the kingdom, and in supporting investment and trade. It ships fresh fruit and vegetables, garments and pharmaceutical products, mail and courier, among others.
