The umbrella organization Air Cargo Netherland (ACN) is going toe-to-toe with the management of Schiphol Airport by demanding significant changes in the organigram introduced shortly ago.
“We still have a lot to discuss,” says ACN Managing Director Maarten van As.

This discussion is not new, says Mr van As. “We have been talking to the Schiphol management ever since the abolition of the department ‘Aviation Marketing, Cargo and Customer Experience’
headed by Maaike van der Windt.” The air cargo community fears that the management overhaul will lead to a dilution of the cargo interests (see: Schiphol’s eternal second-class citizen in
CFG of 10JAN21.)
“We understand that Schiphol’s Operation Reset was a necessity given the reality brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, it is a form of pre-sorting for the post-Corona
future.”
ACN asks specifically that the knowledge be safeguarded, both on the air cargo logistics chain (within the cargo department), and on the Community IT system (within Cargonaut).

Mr or Mrs Cargo
Visibility is another topic, according to Mr van As. “Appoint a clear and recognizable face within the organization: a Mr or Mrs Cargo. Of course, we do not want to meddle in the new
organigram or the person’s title.”
“However now, we note that, on the one hand, the management endorses the importance of cargo for now and the future but, on the other hand, the position of cargo within the organization seems
to sink away. These are some of the topics ACN wants to discuss with Schiphol.”

8% decline over 2020
In 2020, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s volume declined by 8% to 1.44 million tons. Full freighters accounted for 61%, passenger flights for 29%, and ‘preighters’ (passenger aircraft carrying only
cargo), for 10%. Inbound cargo fell by 4.7% to 754,361 tons, outbound cargo by 11.7% to 687,161 tons.
The pandemic did, however, not stop the airport in continuing its efforts in digitization and sustainability. As a result of the acceleration of the Smart Cargo Program, digital Pre-Clearance was
implemented on 01JAN21 and will be tested and evaluated until 01SEP21. The intention is to speed up the handling of export cargo by organizing the document-flow before the arrival of the
consignments at the airport.

Sustainable Schiphol
The Vaccines Gateway Netherlands is a collaboration project of over 60 companies to ensure a swift and secure transport of Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturer to the end consumer.
Amsterdam also joined the Circular Plastics Alliance to improve sustainability in its flower movements. The standardized box sizes for flower consignments will bring down the importers’ carbon
footprint by 25%, whilst simultaneously increasing their profitability by the same percentage.

Marcel Schoeters in Amsterdam

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