What to Know About Air Cargo Handling

What to Know About Air Cargo Handling

Shipping by air is a fast and efficient means of transport for goods. Airlines transport over 52 million metric tons of goods a year, representing more than 35% of global trade by value but less than 1% of world trade by volume. That is equivalent to $6.8 trillion worth of goods annually, or $18.6 billion worth of goods every day. However, the effects of COVID-19 on the industry dramatically affected the air industry including air cargo. Available cargo tonne-kilometers fell industry-wide by 21.4% year-on-year in 2020. However, by the end of the year, industry-wide cargo tonne-kilometers had returned to near pre-COVID values. With so much air cargo being shipped worldwide and so many different parties involved in the supply chain, it is important to take a look at cargo handling for air transport.

What is cargo handling?

Cargo handling is the segment of the supply chain which processes goods landside in the cargo facility. From the delivery at the airport of origin until it is ready for loading on the plane, to the unloading at destination and handover to the consignee/freight forwarder, many steps are involved with cargo handling that must be closely followed to ensure shipments are delivered safely and securely. These steps are found in the cargo Master Operating Plan (MOP).

What is the cargo Master Operating Plan (MOP)?

The Master Operating Plan (MOP) describes the key processes and sub-processes involved in transporting air cargo from shipper to consignee in a systematic and harmonized manner. It provides the air cargo supply chain with the first, industry-endorsed, standard description of the end-to-end process for transporting cargo by air.

What is the cargo MOP?

As a result, the MOP comprises 19 main processes and 78 sub-processes split into five categories of activities as follows:

  Origin Forwarder

  Origin Carrier

  Transport Carrier

  Destination Carrier

  Destination Forwarder

The primary objective for air cargo acceptance and handling is to ensure that consignments are ready for carriage in compliance with operator, as well as with export and import rules of the countries through which the cargo will transit. In general, all items to be transported using commercial aircraft must pass through an acceptance process. There are certain procedures that must be followed regardless of the type of cargo. Other procedures may only apply to certain types of cargo.

The section below will provide you a quick overview of some of the key steps of the MOP. 

Booking & Planning Shipments

The process of cargo handling begins with booking and planning shipments, there is much to be done before the shipment even leaves the facility. Having a solid plan of action allows for smooth booking and prevents fewer problems further down the chain of events. It is necessary to follow the steps below to book your shipment properly. These activities also include the steps handled by freight forwarders as listed below:

  Receive shippers’ requests and check the security status

  Receive shipper freight information

  Plan the routing-direct or consolidation

  Request capacity against forwarder or carrier inventories

  Confirm capacity

  Arrange pick up of freight

  Picked up from the shipper

How Air Cargo is Received and Accepted for Shipment?

The next step in logistics is how air cargo is received and accepted for transport. This is a multi-step process that includes various stockholders including trucking companies, as well as cargo and ground handling service providers amongst others.

Throughout the shipment process, safety remains a priority for all parties of the air cargo supply chain. For instance, it’s important to ensure clear and correct labeling and identification of packages. In addition, the packages themselves must be suited to the content and be able to protect the goods from any damage.

Let's take a closer look at what happens once the shipment is received by the carrier when it comes to discussing air cargo handling as so much of the preparation for the flight happens there.

Receive Shipments into Carrier Domain

Once the freight forwarding truck arrives at the carrier's domain and the truck driver has informed the Cargo Handling Agent of their arrival, the carrier domain can receive the goods. They should have received the following information in advance, which is why filing electronically is always recommended:

  Electronic air waybill information

  Electronic house waybill information for consolidated shipments

  Truck number and type (if available)

  Estimated arrival time (if available)

  Security screening needs (if known/available)

Once the information has been received, and the truck has arrived, an unloading slot and position will be assigned to the driver. Different slots are given according to needs, such as dangerous goods, live animals, ULDs, healthcare products, and more.

Accept Shipments as Ready for Carriage

When accepting shipment as ready for carriage, airport cargo and ground handling personnel must take several steps to meet the requirements to ship goods by air. First, they must verify if the shipments are security cleared. Then they must perform a ready-for carriage check. This entails verifying that all the information aligns with the actual shipment and ensuring all embargoes and operational restrictions are applied. Once everything has been checked, the information is validated against the booking and updated. The primary objective is to ensure the consignments are in compliance with

  Carrier requirements

  Local export rules and regulations

  Rules and regulations of the transit airport(s) and air spaces (if any)

  Import regulations of the destination country

Prepare Cargo for Flight

After accepting shipments ready for carriage, airport cargo and ground handling personnel can prepare the air cargo for flight. The goods in transit must be received and security cleared once again. Goods left on the aircraft that are in transit are considered transit cargo. Cargo and ground handling services must give this transit cargo security checks, including x-ray and Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) screening. A detailed exam of the e-AWB, integrity of the cargo, and piece count is made. Once the pre-plan details are received from the carrier, a build-up plan must be prepared, which indicates what air cargo is to be built for flight, and the information is sent to the warehouse.

Send Shipments to Flight

Now it is time to move the loaded ULDs to a secure flight holding area while being mindful of all sensitive information such as temperature-controlled and dangerous goods. Ensuring no flights are delayed, the ULDs can be lined up in order, if it is known, to prepare for ramp transportation. All ramp safety protocols must be followed. To avoid accidents being mindful of all ground support equipment during the process of loading and unloading is necessary.

At this time, the control of the air cargo passes from the warehouse operator to the ramp handler. The transport of goods from cargo terminal to aircraft is a multi-step process. After following each of those steps explicitly, you would load the aircraft according to the load plan, making a note of arrangements for special cargo. Once the aircraft is loaded, any discrepancies must be addressed by updating the electronic Flight Manifest. It is now that the aircraft can depart, but the cargo loading procedure is not complete without mailing the flight manifest, loading, and carriage information.

How Air Cargo is Unloaded?

How air cargo is unloaded involves fewer steps for airport cargo and ground handlers than the shipping and loading process. There are still many rules and regulations cargo and ground handling personnel must comply with, however. Following ramp safety protocols while performing tasks in a methodical manner help alleviate accidents and keep aircraft turnaround times in check. 

  Unload and dispatch shipment to warehouse

  Check-in shipments

  Arrive shipments

  Hand over shipments to forwarders      

What are the Last Steps Before Delivery?

Once the truck has collected the goods from the carrier’s domain it is transferred to the freight forwarder hub where it’s unloaded and checked. Often before goods are dispatched via a Forwarder Branch Facility before being handed to the Consignee and then they are finally delivered to the final customer.