newstodate.aero
DEC 07, 2004 (newstodate): The Nordic air cargo terminals' handling quality is deplorably low and may not compare with continental airports despite lower volumes.
These words were spoken by a leading freight forwarder at a recent Nordic air cargo conference in Copenhagen.
-Although all cargo terminals publish quality standards, notably times for forwarders' hand-in of export or access to import shipments, few of them live up to measure, says Peter M Larsen, DFDS Transport vice president.
-There are of course exceptions, like Malmoe's airfreight terminal and Billund Airport. Malmoe has not, however, seen air traffic for more than 20 years now, and the bulk of Billund Airport's volumes consists of trucked cargo.
-What is most annoying seems to be the utter lack of any consistency in errors. The Nordic airfreight terminal may live up to standards one day, while transit times may extend to several days the day after. Especially Copenhagen and Gothenburg airports have performed very poorly over a long period of time.
-Basically, our customers request a definite transport time and care less about carriers, airports or even modes of transportation. There may be instances where we might select a transportation with another carrier through a continental airport rather than operating with a local online carrier through a Nordic airport terminal close to the customer, he says.
-Quality costs invariably translate into non-refundable costs at the bottom line. I am at a loss to understand why an operation so bacially uncomplicated as cargo handling at an airport terminal should remain a problem in the Nordic region where volumes are, after all, modest compared to many continental airport, says Peter M Larsen.
These words were spoken by a leading freight forwarder at a recent Nordic air cargo conference in Copenhagen.
-Although all cargo terminals publish quality standards, notably times for forwarders' hand-in of export or access to import shipments, few of them live up to measure, says Peter M Larsen, DFDS Transport vice president.
-There are of course exceptions, like Malmoe's airfreight terminal and Billund Airport. Malmoe has not, however, seen air traffic for more than 20 years now, and the bulk of Billund Airport's volumes consists of trucked cargo.
-What is most annoying seems to be the utter lack of any consistency in errors. The Nordic airfreight terminal may live up to standards one day, while transit times may extend to several days the day after. Especially Copenhagen and Gothenburg airports have performed very poorly over a long period of time.
-Basically, our customers request a definite transport time and care less about carriers, airports or even modes of transportation. There may be instances where we might select a transportation with another carrier through a continental airport rather than operating with a local online carrier through a Nordic airport terminal close to the customer, he says.
-Quality costs invariably translate into non-refundable costs at the bottom line. I am at a loss to understand why an operation so bacially uncomplicated as cargo handling at an airport terminal should remain a problem in the Nordic region where volumes are, after all, modest compared to many continental airport, says Peter M Larsen.