Cargo Development
Our team
The Athens International Airport’s Cargo Development acts as the coordinator and facilitator of the airport’s cargo community activities, supervising and optimizing cargo flows, facilitating communication between the members of the aircargo supply chain and spearheading the development projects and marketing activities.
The key to success lies in the spirit of cooperation developed among all members of the cargo community, including the State Authorities. Αthens Airport cargo community, being always on the front line of developments, aims at the further enhancement and simplification of procedures to the benefit of trade, focusing on operational excellence, extroversion, and the attraction of additional volumes through value-added services.
Facts & Figures
Why Do Business with Us
“We Communicate, Integrate, Facilitate”
All efforts are coordinated through the Athens Airport Cargo Community Committee (ACCC). We have established a living supply chain comprised of all members of the local cargo community and, together with the State Authorities, we work towards the further development of our market. We bring together all on- and off-airport stakeholders, integrating actions aiming at market sustainability and traffic expansion. This collaborative business approach, combined with a competitive operational framework and high standards of services, guarantees the fulfillment of our clients’ needs.
We make things fit as we fit together.
Operational Excellence
Striving for cargo quality services and operational efficiency, the standardization and enhancement of physical and document flows has always been our top priority. Relevant projects include:
- Voluntary service level monitoring agreement with the cargo handlers, by means of Minimum Service Delivery Standards for Imports, since 2008
- Introduction of an annual Cargo Key Performance Index demonstrating the cargo handling performance, since 2010
- Appointment of a Cargo Community Customs Advisor assisting members in their requests for further simplification of Customs procedures, as well as their accurate and on-time information on new Customs developments, since 2008
Business Development Opportunities
We have always emphasized preserving and further increasing existing air volumes and expanding to new markets by creating new, mainly transit flows. We are here to plan, introduce and promote jointly your new ventures. Opportunities for volume development through the Athens International Airport include:
- 24-hour availability for the operation of cargo flights (no slot & night constraints)
- Provision of financial incentives for new scheduled cargo flights
- Potential for introducing Road Feeder Services (RFS) to and from the Balkans (transit cargo)
- Potential for combined sea-air transportation services through the standardization of flows with both Piraeus Port operators (Cosco Group)
- Potential for additional pharmaceutical flows based on the IATA CEIV Pharma certification of the cargo & ramp handlers
Competitive Advantages
There are many good reasons for flying your cargo through Athens
Strategic Location
- Southeastern gateway to Europe
- Proximity to the port of Piraeus
- Fast access to the Balkans
Operational Environment
- 24/7 operation - no slot and night constraints
- 2 independent runways
- High safety & security standards
- Minimum Service Delivery Standards for inbound flows
- IATA CEIV Pharma certified cargo community for handling pharmaceuticals
Competitive Services
- cargo community interface, single point of contact
- Multimodal transport development potential
- Incentives for new regular cargo flights
Synergies & Collaborations
- Athens Airport Cargo Community Committee
- Networking for new development projects
- Joint promotion of the Athens International Airport cargo services
Contact details
Joint Initiatives & Projects
In September 2023, AIA has been recognized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for its valuable support and contribution to local cargo community members receiving IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification. This joint approach is supported by representatives from the entire air cargo supply chain, such as ramp and cargo handlers, international freight forwarders and a trucking company. Five companies, namely Goldair Handling S.A., Skyserv S.A., Swissport Greece S.A., DHL Global Forwarding (Hellas) S.A., and Talos Attikis Ltd., under AIA’s umbrella, and in close collaboration with IATA, proactively addressed the increased requirements needed for the handling and transportation of pharmaceutical products by air: the cargo handlers heavily invested in upgrading their terminal cooling facilities, while all stakeholders further enhanced their operational procedures to ensure product integrity by meeting global standards for the handling and transportation of pharmaceuticals by air, as well as by complying with national and international regulations.
Capitalizing on this development, the Athens International Airport and all members of the local cargo community aim to contribute to the further increase of pharmaceutical export volumes by providing value-added services to the pharmaceutical industry.
As a next step, in June 2024, AIA became a member of the global collaborative platform for excellence in reliable end-to-end transportation of pharmaceuticals and other healthcare projects, Pharma.Aero, aiming to gain further expert knowledge on the transportation and handling of pharmaceutical products, while at the same time to support Pharma.Aero’s mission of promoting a seamless pharmaceutical supply chain worldwide.
Aiming to set objective standards regarding the quality of cargo handling services at the Athens International Airport, we have set up, together with the local cargo community a flow monitoring scheme, which addresses the velocity of physical and document inbound flows for each individual cargo handler. The resulting Minimum Service Delivery Standards are the forerunner of the Cargo Key Performance Index, which was introduced at a later stage and attempts to evaluate, apart from speed, the quality of the overall handling activity.
Setting Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS)
The initial question that needed to be addressed was how swiftly cargo handling can be performed at AIA. This led to the agreement on establishing certain service categories, such as the cargo and/or document transport from the aircraft to the cargo terminal, the physical handling time, the delivery of mail to the Airmail Unit, etc. In case results in certain service categories fall to a below standard level and the target is not achieved, a corrective action plan is discussed, and then implemented, by the relevant cargo handler.
The MSDS for inbound flows have been incorporated into the Freight & Mail Handling Agreements since 2008. This renders AIA as one of the few airports that actively enforce and monitor service delivery standards, thereby illustrating its interest in the futrher improvement and development of cargo flows.
Applying an overall Key Performance Index (Cargo-KPI)
Following the implementation of the MSDS, the efficiency and the quality of the overall cargo handling performance at Athens International Airport needed to be determined. Further consultation with the cargo handlers and the local cargo community led to the development of the Cargo Key Performance Index (C-KPI).
The C-KPI is composed of the MSDS results and the evaluation of the handlers’ performance in the following fields: operations, housekeeping & access monitoring, safety, environmental management, and business development & synergies. Furthermore, feedback from third parties (airline clients and forwarders) is sought. The results and methods for further operational improvements are discussed annually with the cargo handlers.
C-KPI is an objective tool in the overall measurement of cargo service quality over over time, while it ensures continuous contact with the cargo handlers and operational efficiency, and sets the basis for further flow growth.
The Athens International Airport is the first European airport having launched combined transport with maritime, road, and air flows since 2006. The project provides an attractive alternative to strict air transport and enables shippers to forward their cargo from the Eastern Mediterranean region via Piraeus seaport and AIA to final destinations in Northern Europe and North America.
Having signed Cooperation Agreements with both Piraeus seaport operators, i,e, Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA) in 2006 and Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT) in 2010, and having extended the collaboration to include the Piraeus Consolidation & Distribution Centre (PCDC) in 2017, AIA and the local cargo community have create a service that offers a flow concept for same-day connection in Athens and short transit times at competitive rates.
The project’s logo, ‘seanairgy’, has a dual sense: it addresses the joint undertaking and the dual mode of transport (sea and air).
Aiming to bring all stakeholders under one roof, AIA has introduced an innovative business approach by establishing a “living supply chain” that connects the members of the local cargo community through a joint and efficient communication platform, the Airport Cargo Community Committee (ACCC).
The members include senior members of all airport cargo stakeholders, such as the freight and mail handlers, the airlines and the integrators, the forwarders and the customs brokers, the Hellenic Post (ELTA) as well as State Authorities, i.e., AIA Customs and the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Station , while in 2023 the Department for the Development of Supply Chain the Ministry of Development joined the ACCC as a new member.
The ACCC was established in early 2003 and has an advisory role. It meets once per month, and it is chaired by AIA. The ACCC aims at enhancing communication among all members of the cargo community by promoting synergies inside and outside the airport borders and by reaching joint decisions on new projects and further cargo-traffic developments.
In the context of the above, promoting AIA’s cargo community internationally has been of utmost importance: our cargo community has always been represented under the same roof at the international ‘Air Cargo Europe’ exhibition in Munich since 2005.
This unique joint approach has been a key factor in AIA’s winning several awards upon the introduction of the ACCC concept, such as the "Cargo Airport of the Year 2006" award by Air Cargo News Publication and the "Air Cargo Award of Excellence" award for the period 2008 - 2011 by Air Cargo World Publication.
