IATA yesterday identified 11 additional countries as "ready for e-freight," signaling a potential major expansion of trials that aim to demonstrate the feasibility of "paperless" air cargo. New nations are US, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, UAE (Dubai), Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Norway. Current e-freight trials, in which a portion of airfreight on key trade lanes travels without much of the paper documentation usually accompanying cargo, are taking place at airports in Canada, Sweden, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Netherlands.

Germany, Mauritius and South Korea have been targeted to be added this year. Five of the 11 new locations identified yesterday will be selected to launch e-freight in 2008 with the remainder targeted for launch in 2009. "The momentum to rid air cargo of costly paper processes is building quickly," IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said. "We need to simplify and modernize our business. 100% e-ticketing was an important step forward [and] e-freight is another. It will deliver much-needed efficiency and $1.2 billion in [annual] cost savings." IATA wants to implement e-freight "where feasible" by 2010 but has acknowledged that fewer than 25% of locations worldwide likely will be e-freight capable by then.