THE International Air Transport Association and Cargo 2000 are joining forces to build a common airfreight industry standard to unify electronic data interchange.

Their two initiatives are expected to complement each other as IATA e-freight focuses on simplicity and efficiency while Cargo 2000 concentrates on quality standards.

"Cargo 2000 is excited at the prospect of joining the IATA e-freight programme and building the 'Quality Roadmap' that will present a win-win situation for the industry," said Cargo 2000 chairman Mick Fountain.

The objective is to simplify and implement best practice by using and providing accurate and timely data in a paper-free environment to facilitate the movement of goods throughout the supply chain, said a joint statement from the two organisations.

The IATA e-freight Message Improvement Programme (MIP) will become an integral part of Cargo 2000 and constitute an extra quality measurement for all Cargo 2000 members. IATA e-freight MIP aims to increase the quality and numbers of electronic messages exchanged between industry stakeholders. It initially focuses on the electronic form of the master air waybill (FWB) and the house manifest (FHL).

IATA e-freight, in turn, will work with Cargo 2000 to ensure that all e-freight processes, defined during the pilot phase, are aligned with the Cargo 2000 practices already in place.

"IATA e-freight will learn from and build on the success of Cargo 2000. In turn, Cargo 2000 and IATA e-freight participants will benefit from common simplified processes, improved customer service and a reduction in costs resulting from a streamlined and efficient paper-free environment," said IATA global cargo chief Aleks Popovich.

Both programmes will ultimately support implementation of IATA e-freight and Cargo 2000 Phase 3, which involves shipment planning and tracking at the piece level, together with document tracking.