EVA starts e-freight shipments

EVA starts e-freight shipments    Taiwan-based EVA Air Cargo has begun using the International Air Transport Association's e-freight system, the airline said Tuesday.
   EVA, a subsidiary of the Evergreen Group, launched the system on its services between Kaohsiung and Hong Kong and Singapore on Nov. 3. E-freight is an IATA initiative that seeks to make paperless a series of 16 trade, transportation and customs documents that were printed out.
   'Among numerous benefits, the e-freight system enables EVA to send shipment documentation to a destination before the cargo arrives, saving as much as 24 hours of processing time,' the airline said. 'It saves customers hands-on time by automatically populating documents with information repeatedly required, improving accuracy and consistency and reducing delays. It also gives everyone in the supply chain the opportunity to track shipments and get real-time status updates.'
   EVA said it will expand its use of the system to more of its air freight stations worldwide as they become e-freight ready and can process consignments electronically. The airline said it has spent the past several months preparing for the launch of e-freight by working closely with customs authorities, its freight forwarder partners and cargo terminals. EVA passed an IATA e-freight test run in October.
   IATA's target is to implement e-freight in 44 countries by the end of 2010, representing more than 80 percent of global airfreight volume.