Air freight handling at Hamburg Airport (HAM) is being fully digitized. The symbolic start button will be pressed tomorrow, on 04AUG25. In close coordination with the airport’s cargo division, the three local handling agents, LUG aircargo handling, Swissport International, and WISAG Cargo Service Hamburg have now reached a consensus on the electronic system to be implemented and used.
Paper is a thing of the past. In future, freight operations at Hamburg Airport will be 100% digital. This means retraining for some ground staff, but it is unavoidable because there is no alternative. Trucking companies and their drivers are also affected, as they will have to book their delivery and collection slots electronically. Most importantly: the local customs authorities also support the step. Without their cooperation, the project would have no chance of being realized.
Customs authorities participate
Frankfurt Airport and its FAIR@Link Cargo system called Allivate, served as the role model (CFG reported). Allivate is a 50/50 joint venture between airport operator, Fraport, and Hamburg-based IT provider, Dakosy. Based on the vision of “one location, one digital standard”, it will lay the groundwork for the end-to-end digitalization of handling and customs processes at the Hamburg Cargo Center, which is located within the airport fence in direct reach to the apron.
Important step forward
For HAM Airport and particularly the local handling agents based there, the use of the Allivate tool is an important step forward, states Alexander Müller, Head of Office & Logistics at Hamburg Airport. When asked about the turnover of the three agents, he kept tight lipped. He only reveals that all three have major cargo airlines as customers. In the case of LUG, it is Turkish Cargo, WISAG serves Emirates and Lufthansa Cargo, while Swissport manages the cargo business of Qatar Cargo.
Meanwhile, LUG and Swissport have already adapted the electronic system, with agent WISAG now following suit. According to Ingo Veihl, Managing Director of WISAG Cargo, the main impetus for joining is the growing shortage of skilled workers and the increasing handling volumes. “Instead of waiting until we receive the goods to see which consignments are arriving, we will be able to see this step much earlier, and we’ll avoid double entries and paper.”
Reducing bureaucratic procedures…
Managing Director, Dirk Gladiator of Allivate, added: “Connecting all handling agents is the basis for the binding introduction of location-wide digital and standardized air cargo processes.” The mandatory adoption of the FAIR@Link platform is also an important step in view of the growing volume of air freight handled at HAM. Last year alone, volume jumped by 39% to 65,400 tons. “This favorable development, in part due to new carriers, is quickly pushing our ground handling to a new dimension. With the Cargo Community System, we are enabling a more efficient use of existing capacities through foresighted planning and digital collaboration. We are thus positioning Hamburg Airport as an efficient and future-oriented air freight location,” enthuses Alexander Müller, Head of Office & Logistics at Hamburg Airport.
… and speeding up flows
Once the system is in full swing, all parties involved will benefit from reduced administrative work, shorter waiting and handling times, and optimized traffic management solutions. In addition, export customs declarations can be prepared via FAIR@Link and automatically transmitted electronically to the customs office when the goods arrive, which further speeds up processes.
The joint approach is the focal point for Jens Sorgenfrei, Board Member of the Hamburg Freight Forwarders Association (VHSp): “With FAIR@Link, we are creating a robust foundation for modern, interlinked air freight processing, in which all parties involved – from freight forwarders and handling agents to authorities – can work together using a common platform.”
