Cargolux Joins Air Cargo's Digital Shift

Europe's air cargo industry has not been the quickest when it comes to embracing the digital world, but efforts are being made to catch up. A series of carriers have reported major digital initiatives in recent months and, not to be left behind, they now have been joined by Luxembourg-based freighter operator Cargolux.

Cargolux, which operates a fleet of 14 Boeing 747-8 freighters and 16 Boeing 747-400 freighters and brands itself as "Europe's leading all-cargo airline," has launched an online booking tool that enables digital sales.

The carrier claims the tool allows customers to "smoothen the booking process," allowing for "effortless connectivity" and "a faster, frictionless and more personalized buying experience."

Cargolux's decision to join air freight's digital party follows a raft of announcements from European carriers in the digital space in recent months. Late last month, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo and leading forwarder Kuehne + Nagel reported they had integrated their electronic booking processes, while Virgin Atlantic Cargo launched its own "digital transformation" earlier this year by implementing Accenture's cargo booking platform.

IAG Cargo recently signed up with Freightos' WebCargo platform, following in the footsteps of Lufthansa Cargo, which teamed up with Freightos last year.

Lufthansa has now rolled out the WebCargo platform to "most markets worldwide" and online bookings also are available via Cargo Portal Services and cargo.one, a spokesman told FreightWaves.

Cargolux was unable to respond before publication when asked if the digital tool could provide live quotes or if door-to-door fulfilment was an option.

However, a statement said the platform is "powered by PRO's solutions to streamline and accelerate the customer quoting and booking process" and represents "a leap forward for the company that has embarked on a journey of profound transformation and digitalization."

Domenico Ceci, executive vice president of sales and marketing, added, "Our mission is to deliver superior digital sales experience for customers with AI-powered price optimization, quoting and revenue management solutions. This new tool considers all the customer requirements in a single location to guarantee the right offer is made to every customer, every time."

As reported in FreightWaves, the carrier closed a Japanese operating lease for a B747-ERF freighter aircraft through a Jolco transaction last month.

In April, Cargolux also announced an increase in net profit for 2018. Consolidated net profit after tax for 2018 totaled $211.2 million, up from $122.3 million a year earlier.

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