Digital adoption in airfreight is advancing, but not at the pace many in the sector once expected. The main obstacles are no longer the technology itself, but the difficulty of making fragmented systems talk to one another and getting carriers, forwarders, handlers and logistics providers to share data in a consistent way.
That is why industry attention has increasingly turned to common standards such as ONE Record. As Scott Sangster, general manager for global logistics servic...
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e providers at Descartes Systems Group, told the sector, the issue is not simply upgrading software but changing the way the industry communicates across organisational boundaries. He said these shifts take time because they require systematic change throughout the sector.
The case for broader adoption is straightforward. A common framework can improve collaboration, give parties better visibility of shipments and make the network more responsive when disruptions occur. In practice, that means moving beyond isolated digital projects and towards a shared operational environment in which information can flow more reliably across the cargo chain.
The industry’s thinking about digitalisation has also matured. What was once often treated as an innovation exercise is now increasingly seen as part of core infrastructure. That change in perspective matters because it shifts the focus from installing new tools to proving measurable gains in booking synchronisation, exception management, customer service, resilience and transparency.
Sangster said the question has moved on from whether digitisation is needed to how it can be scaled operationally. The organisations making the most progress, he added, are those linking digital investment to clear business outcomes rather than treating it as a standalone technology project.
Artificial intelligence is now building on those foundations. Its use in air cargo is expanding into areas such as disruption management, resource allocation and capacity planning, but its value depends on the quality and accessibility of the data beneath it. Fragmented information, still common across the sector, limits what automation can achieve.
There is also a workforce dimension. Rather than simply cutting headcount, automation is increasingly being presented as a way to remove routine work and allow staff to focus on higher-value operational tasks. That could help improve productivity while also making the industry more appealing to new recruits.
For now, the picture is one of progress, but gradual progress. The technology is available. The harder task is getting an industry built on many separate systems and commercial relationships to adopt common practices at scale.
Source: Noah Wire Services
