Etihad Crystal Cargo, the cargo division of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has signed an agreement with Cargo Community Network Pte Ltd (CCN), a Singapore based company operating the CCNhub air cargo portal.
Starting in July 2006, the agreement promotes the paperless exchange of cargo related communication alongside Etihad’s supply chain in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China.
The secured carrier-neutral service portal is designed to facilitate the air cargo shipment process by ensuring a smooth interface of all functions crucial for the time-critical air cargo business, thus connecting freight forwarders not only to the system of the airline, but also to those of ground-handling agents, government agencies and banks through EDI (electronic data interchange) communication.
“Etihad Crystal Cargo’s decision to enhance its services by linking its computer system CRISTAL to CCN is another milestone in the airline’s strategy to bring total information transparency along the supply chain. Logistics companies in India and Asia are now enabled to interact directly and paperless with Etihad Crystal Cargo,” said Ingo Roessler, V.P. Cargo, Etihad Crystal Cargo.
CCN provides a range of services which include e-Booking, e-Status Enquiry (FSR/FSA) and e-Status Update (FSU) services, informing forwarders proactively and systematically about the status of shipments and enabling them to automate their operational processes and offer a better service to their own customers.
"We are pleased that Etihad Crystal Cargo has decided to join CCN’s network and look forward to supporting them in their commitment to quality and efficiency by providing them services to meet the technical and communication demands the industry is facing," said Mr. Teow Boon Ling, General Manager, CCN.
Over the next weeks, Etihad Crystal Cargo’s General Sales and Services Agents (GSSAs) in Jakarta, Colombo, Bangkok, New Delhi and Mumbai will be updated with the key features of CCN.
At the beginning of the year, Etihad Crystal Cargo has signed a similar agreement with TRAXON, providing electronic communications within Germany as well as key forwarders world-wide.
Cont…
In April 2006, Etihad Crystal Cargo became the first Middle East-based airline to join the Cargo 2000 quality initiative with the target to improve the efficiency of air cargo, enhance customer service levels and reduce operational costs.
“Joining communication platforms - such as CCN and Traxon - and quality initiatives – such as Cargo 2000 - are the best means to bring efficiency to all partners along the supply chain,” concluded Roessler.
Etihad Crystal Cargo has also recently enhanced the communication flow at its hub Abu Dhabi International Airport, with its ground handling partner Abu Dhabi Airport Services (ADAS) changing its Cargo System to “Cargospot”, the same Swiss-made IT platform “Cargospot” Etihad Crystal Cargo has been using since two years.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is the world’s leading new airline and currently offers flights for Guests and cargo to more than 40 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.
Etihad Crystal Cargo – www.crystalcargo.ae – offers a comprehensive range of cargo services throughout Etihad’s network, and services its many all-cargo destinations and world-wide charters with a fleet of modern regional freighter aircraft.
Etihad Holidays - www.etihadholidays.com - offers a range of innovative holiday options including skiing, fly-drives, cruises, tours, stopovers, inbound programmes and city breaks.
About CCN:
CARGO COMMUNITY NETWORK PTE LTD (CCN) has been at the forefront of promoting paperless exchange of cargo related information between all parties within the airfreight community. We have been the regional leader in the operation of the Cargo Community System (CCS) since the inception of the company in 1991.
Governed by our core values such as professionalism, innovation and total commitment, we harness the sophistication and progression of IT to bring about convenience and simplicity to all our valued clients and partners.
