A successful e-freight workshop held in Bangkok at the beginning of April has inspired the Thai air cargo community to speed up e-AWB adoption in the country.

The seminar, organized by Bangkok Flight Services (BFS) and Worldwide Information Network (WIN) was attended by airlines, and a mix of independent and multinational forwarder members of local associations including the Thai Airfreight Forwarders Association (TAFA) and the Thai International Freight Forwarders Association (TIFFA).

The workshop focused on steps each participant can take this year to move Thailand up the ranks to become a leader in e-AWB adoption.

David Ambridge, general manager of Bangkok Flight Services, said the workshop had been “a huge success” attracting more than 50 attendees and prompting the need for a second session to accommodate the level of interest.

“Collaboration like this is the future not only for e-AWB but for many other issues we face in the air cargo industry. Already since this session we have seen a major Thai forwarder sign up and actually begin e-AWB shipments and I have also had renewed interest from two major European airlines. This is all good news and I look forward to seeing more and more e-AWB shipments moving through our cargo terminal,” he added.

BFS, the largest handler at Bangkok airport, is a joint venture between Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and Bangkok Airways. It has been working with WIN to increase transmission of e-AWB data in Thailand since the beginning of the year.

“In the last few months the momentum of e-AWB has really accelerated globally,” said Isabella Anderson, project manager, cargo e-business adoption, for the International Air Transport Association. “Close collaboration among stakeholders at airport level is key in building up support and drive adoption of e-AWB.”