Starting 3 April, IAG Cargo will introduce a charging fee of £10 for paper air waybills (AWB) to encourage adoption of the electronic version or eAWB.

The cargo division of the International Airlines Group introduced the eAWB as part of a ‘Destination Digital’ strategy to transform the business digitally. So far, nearly 50 percent of customers already use eAWB, and IAG Cargo is targeting an adoption rate of 100 percent by the end of 2023.

IAG said the industry has relied on paper transactions for years, adding up more than 7,800 tonnes of paper documents processed per year–which is equivalent to 80 Boeing 747s full of paper.

“The eAWB not only offers a more sustainable alternative but also provides a seamless end-to-end service for its customers that eliminates the risk of human error,” the company noted.

David Rose, transformation chief at IAG Cargo said: “eAWB is the first step of many steps in our ambitious destination digital journey, and we are excited to use the data provided to roll out future digital initiatives that will see us become more sustainable and reliable.”