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Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN) is stepping up pressure on IATA to accelerate the introduction of an ecommerce handling code, warning that burgeoning parcel volumes are pushing cargo handling operations at Amsterdam Schiphol to their limits, disrupting conventional air freight.
The Dutch air cargo association told The Loadstar it wanted to “put pressure on the process” of developing the IATA code, arguing that greater urgency was needed as handlers struggled with the physical and administrative demands created by ecommerce.
In a paper sent to The Loadstar, ACN said: “What began as a steady stream has grown into an avalanche of parcels, pushing first-line handling to its physical limits. The current model puts severe pressure on personnel, disrupts regular air freight, and demands structural interventions.”
ACN said the lack of standardisation in ecommerce shipments arriving at Schiphol was creating particular difficulties for handlers, contrasting the relatively orderly handling of traditional cargo with ecommerce shipments comprising large numbers of loose and different-sized parcels.
It said ecommerce shipments frequently arrived in grey poly-mailers or cartons, with pallets sometimes containing boxes that had collapsed under the weight of cargo above.
“Boxes frequently lack weight indicators, and because they (if not simply bags) cannot be stacked properly, counting the number of items on a pallet is exceedingly difficult,” ACN said. “Furthermore, these small, variable parcels are incompatible with existing automated systems, which are specifically designed for large, consolidated freight.”
ACN added that unclear or handwritten labels could create administrative problems, and claimed: “Employees genuinely dread the physical handling of ecommerce flows due to the high workload and lack of structure.”
But its concern extends beyond the ecommerce shipments themselves. ACN warned that the volumes were creating bottlenecks for other cargo as handlers counted, processed, and transferred parcels to trucks for collection.
It said: “Errors in the process lead to significant rework and delays, putting traditional ‘neat’ air freight under intense pressure. Both the physical and administrative sides of the handling process are bursting at the seams.”
ACN believes much of the problem needs to be tackled before shipments arrive at destination airports, arguing that the relatively small number of companies responsible for the bulk of ecommerce imports into the Netherlands should impose more rigorous requirements on packaging, labelling, and consolidation.
“The tide must be turned before the supply chain grinds to a halt,” it warned.
“The key to the solution lies in reducing complexity at the source and minimising the so-called human interface at the airport.”
One particular problem, according to ACN, is shipments for the same receiver being distributed across different pallets or ULDs, requiring them to be broken down and repalletised after arrival at Schiphol.
It said origin processes should, instead, ensure that shipments for the same receiver were consolidated into a single unit, wherever possible.
ACN also wants airlines and Schiphol to consider imposing additional conditions on companies that fail to deliver shipments in complete units.
However, a central part of ACN’s proposed solution is the introduction of a specific IATA identifier for ecommerce, and the association wants the airline body to accelerate the work.
ACN told The Loadstar it wanted to “put pressure on the process”, believing a dedicated code would give the industry greater visibility over what was being transported and the scale of ecommerce flows.
The issue is already on IATA’s agenda. In May, IATA said work was under way on an ecommerce special handling code (SHC) intended to provide a standard way to identify ecommerce shipments and improve visibility of the cargo moving through the air freight system.
The initiative forms part of IATA’s wider work on ecommerce standards, as the industry attempts to adapt processes developed largely for conventional air freight to rapidly growing parcel flows.
ACN argues the measure is becoming increasingly urgent as ecommerce volumes place greater pressure on handling operations.
“A specific IATA handling code for ecommerce is necessary so that the industry at least has an overarching understanding of the actual volume of ecommerce being transported,” it said.
ACN added that better identification alone would not solve the handling problems, and called for smarter consolidation, better data exchange, and fewer manual interventions.
“By bundling ecommerce flows more intelligently, exchanging data more effectively, and minimising physical handling on the shop floor, we protect not only the operational continuity and reliability of the airport, but above all the health and motivation of the people performing the manual labour.”
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