Lufthansa Cargo is joining an initiative by Germany to digitalise air cargo.

The freight carrier said under the project — called "Digital Test Field Air Cargo — it will focus on data exchange between all partners in the transport chain which will then be the basis for all data-driven optimisations and AI-based applications.

Lufthansa Cargo said, for example, digital accompanying documents from manufacturers to consignees will be made available to all parties by using IATA’s new, open ONE Record standard which it co-designed.

Other related data such as temperature data, position, and photos of the entire transport chain will also be made available to help resolve issues faster, as they come.

Lufthansa noted that this practice would increase transparency in the transport chain and make processes and capacities more efficient — and eventually would lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions.

"We are pleased that the Federal Ministry of Transport has clearly committed itself to airfreight in Germany with the Digital Test Field Air Cargo," said Harald Gloy, Lufthansa Cargo's executive board member for operations and human resources, and a member of the BMVI's (The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure) Innovation Commission.

"We want to contribute to further strengthening Germany as a business location. That is why we are contributing our many years of experience in digitalization along the supply chain to this nationwide project and ultimately also want to set international standards," he added.

Gloy noted that "digitalising air freight further also means making it more sustainable."

"To this end, we see great potential in optimized data exchange between all partners in the airfreight transport chain, for example, which we want to leverage," the Lufthansa Cargo executive added.

The BMVI's "Digital Test Field Air Cargo" project is being coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics.