Awery Aviation Software (Awery) is rolling out an open-access version of its online booking and quoting portal, CargoBooking, across South Africa, Switzerland, and Spain.

Tristan Koch, the company's chief commercial officer, made the announcement, noting that the now freely accessible CargoBooking solution is live and ready to use, with General Sales Agent ATC already implementing the software across its system.

 CargoBooking, powered by Awery, allows airlines and General Sales Agents (GSAs) to provide freight forwarders with real-time air cargo rate distribution, quotes, and booking options.

The solution offers a streamlined user experience, connecting capacity and demand on one platform.

Air cargo digital democracy

"We believe in an air cargo digital democracy, and by offering an open-access version of our CargoBooking platform, we can help drive that transformation to the benefit of all players in the industry," Koch told delegates at the Air Cargo Africa conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He noted that the air cargo market across Africa is "full of potential," and stakeholders here will benefit hugely from a digital approach.

"We would like to hear from all players in the African air cargo industry to discuss how we can help them to take advantage of CargoBooking," Koch added.

Anna Balan, who brings experience of both software development and freight forwarding, will lead the new initiative.

"The automation that CargoBooking brings to the sales process will lead to tangible benefits such as cost saving and operational efficiencies, as well as providing an additional sales distribution channel," said Balan, head of CargoBooking, Awery.

"The efficiency and responsiveness of the air cargo industry is dependent on quick and accurate communication between stakeholders in the supply chain, something that can only be achieved by the global uptake of air cargo digitalisation," she added.

Awery's eMagic solution, included with CargoBooking, converts email and text enquiries from various formats and languages into a standard data format, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming manual processing.

The information is carried through to bookings, payments, and track and trace services, enabling CargoBooking to provide an end-to-end fulfilment solution.

The move to offer the solution on an open-access model is part of Awery's wider ambition to provide an efficient, cutting-edge digital platform that is available to all air cargo stakeholders.