Air Cargo Tracking: Enhance Supply Chain Visibility and Management

Air cargo tracking is a key tool for monitoring shipments and ensuring they reach their destinations on time. It provides businesses and individuals with visibility into their shipments, making it easier to plan and respond to any delays.

Whether you are working in logistics or managing a fast-growing e-commerce business, having this level of visibility is essential for smooth operations and a reliable supply chain.

In this guide, you can learn how air cargo tracking works, how to track shipments effectively, and how it can help optimize your supply chain.

What Is Air Cargo Tracking?

Air cargo tracking lets you see where your shipments are and how they are moving. Each shipment has a unique Air Waybill (AWB) number, which acts as its tracking ID.

Shippers and recipients can enter the AWB number on the airline or freight forwarder’s website to get real-time updates. For businesses with many shipments, tracking is easier by uploading AWB numbers through CSV files or connecting directly via the airline or freight forwarder’s API.

Some companies also use third-party AWB tracking platforms. These platforms work with multiple airlines and give a clear view of all shipments at once, helping businesses stay on top of deliveries and reduce delays.

Key Components of Air Cargo Tracking

Effective air cargo tracking through the air transport system is heavily reliant on a combination of devices and technologies that help in the monitoring and managing movement of the cargo.

Identification Tags

Identification Tags are either physical or digital labels attached to air cargo, providing a unique identifier for each shipment. These tags are essential for tracking and managing cargo throughout its transport journey. Some common types of identification tags include barcodes, QR codes, and RFID tags.

Data Capture Devices

Data capture devices serve the primary purpose of capturing information relating to air cargo and updating this to the air cargo track and trace system in place. Most of these devices feature scanning capabilities that enable them to read the information from the identification tags. The most popular data capture devices used in air cargo tracking include barcode scanners, handheld devices, and RFID readers.

GPS Tracking

Logistics companies use GPS (Global Positioning System) on planes, trucks, and containers for real-time cargo tracking. GPS devices enable logistics companies to track cargo, communicate updates, and guarantee on-time delivery.

Tracking Software 

Tracking Software is a centralized system that collects all tracking information, including GPS coordinates and scans from identification tags, and presents it in a user-friendly dashboard to enable easy monitoring of air cargo movements. Additionally, it can often provide features such as shipment status updates, exception alerts, and route optimization.

How Does Air Cargo Tracking Work?

The air cargo tracking workflow can be simplified into four main steps that ensure the smooth and transparent movement of cargo through the air transportation system, as follows.

1. Shipment Labeling

The first step is shipment labeling. The label carries all the essential information about the package, including its weight, dimensions, origin, destination, and contents. Each label also includes a unique identifier, serving as a critical component for tracking. It enables the automated scanning and tracking of air cargo at various stages of its journey, ensuring seamless access to detailed information stored in a tracking system or database.

2. Data Collection

After labeling the shipment, the tracking procedure flows to the next step which is to collect data concerning the package. The air freight carrier will employ data capture devices to scan the unique identifiers at each stage of the shipment’s journey. 

The scanning devices at these different checkpoints which include warehouses, airports, sorting facilities, and storage hubs, capture real-time information about the package’s movement, its condition, and location. Once captured, the information is then relayed to a centralized tracking system.

3. GPS Monitoring

Some logistics companies use GPS to precisely track air freight in real-time, especially for sensitive or high-value items. It significantly reduces the risk of loss or theft and improves the efficiency of the supply chain. Moreover, with the advent of advanced analytics, this data can also be used to optimize routes, predict potential delays, and enhance overall delivery performance.

4. Accessing Tracking Information

The final step involves accessing the air cargo’s tracking information via an online portal, mobile app, or tracking software. Individuals are advised to track their air shipments through the airline’s official website or through third-party shipment tracking services. Businesses, on the other hand, require solutions capable of intelligently tracking millions of cargo like EDI systems and API integration.

How to Track Air Cargo Efficiently

Businesses rely on two main methods for tracking air cargo shipments:

EDI Systems

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems let computer systems exchange standardized documents. In air cargo tracking, EDIs streamline status updates and shipment information between shippers and carriers. They have long been used in the supply chain because they improve data accuracy, reduce information exchange time, and boost overall efficiency. For cargo shipments, EDIs provide updates on departure and arrival times, delays, and other exceptions, often in real time.

API Integration

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the modern standard for air cargo tracking. By integrating with an air cargo tracking API, businesses can share shipment status, tracking updates, and important documents like air waybills directly between systems in real time. This centralizes information, improves accuracy, and makes it easier for all parties—shippers, carriers, and customers—to stay informed.

Why API Integration Is the Preferred Method for Air Cargo Tracking

Many businesses are now preferring air cargo tracking API solutions over EDI systems. Below are the reasons.

• Real-time Tracking: Through API integration, organizations can access shipment tracking data in real time. This allows for monitoring the status of the cargo as it continues its journey. A business is also empowered to make proactive decisions and improve its exception handling.
• Seamless Integration: API integration is especially beneficial because it allows for seamless integration with other logistics systems, enabling data exchange between different systems without manual intervention.
• Customization and Flexibility: Businesses can customize features to meet their specific tracking needs through different API calls. This flexibility enables quick adaptation to changing market conditions and customer demands.
• Scalability: APIs are scalable to accommodate the increasing volume of data and transactions of a business. With API integration, businesses are guaranteed that they can handle growing Air Waybill tracking demands without compromising on performance.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: APIs can be configured to send push notifications or emails to customers about important milestones or changes in shipment status, such as delays or arrival notifications. This proactive communication keeps customers informed and can reduce the need for them to check the status manually.

Challenges in Air Cargo Tracking

This section explores the broad challenges encountered in air cargo tracking, including logistical complexities, technological integration, and meeting the high standards of real-time transparency and accuracy demanded by today’s global supply chains.

Logistical Complexities

Air cargo tracking must navigate the intricacies of global logistics networks that involve multiple countries with varying regulations, languages, and infrastructures. These complexities can lead to discrepancies in tracking information and delays in updates, making it difficult to maintain a consistent and reliable tracking system.

Technological Integration 

Integrating tracking technologies across different platforms and carriers presents a significant challenge. The diversity in systems used by airlines, freight forwarders, and logistics companies can result in fragmented data and the lack of a unified tracking experience. Achieving seamless integration requires substantial investment and coordination among all stakeholders.

Real-Time Transparency and Accuracy

In today’s fast-paced economy, customers expect not only transparency but also accuracy in the real-time tracking of their shipments. Meeting these expectations demands advanced technology capable of providing up-to-the-minute information. However, ensuring the accuracy of this data, especially across long distances and through various checkpoints, is a considerable challenge.

Data Security and Privacy

With the increasing reliance on digital systems for tracking, safeguarding the data against unauthorized access, and ensuring privacy become paramount. The challenge lies in implementing robust security measures without compromising the efficiency or user-friendliness of the tracking system.

Key Benefits of Air Cargo Tracking

End-to-end air cargo tracking offers a myriad of benefits to businesses that implement such a system. These benefits include the following.

Enhanced Visibility and Control

Efficient Air Waybill tracking ensures real-time shipment visibility, identifying delays or pertinent issues in the supply chain. Therefore, stakeholders can take the necessary action needed to mitigate delays and guarantee the on-time delivery of shipments. 

Optimized Inventory Management

Air cargo tracking plays a crucial role in optimizing inventory management by providing precise information on the whereabouts and estimated arrival times of shipments. This real-time data enables businesses to reduce excess stock and minimize storage costs, as they can align their inventory levels more accurately with anticipated demand. 

Streamlined Operations

A key feature of efficient air cargo tracking is the automation of processes including documentation, compliance procedures, and communication between stakeholders. These small changes contribute to a bigger whole—streamlined operations.

Data Analytics

Air cargo track and trace systems generate a vast amount of data that can be analyzed by a business to identify trends, optimize routes, and improve overall logistical efficiency. The insights gained from analyzing this data are key to making informed decisions.

Risk Mitigation

A business that embraces real-time air freight tracking benefits from the added vigilance capabilities that these tools come with to help identify potential risks such as weather disruptions, route changes, and other logistical bottlenecks. The information gained from this can be utilized to implement a contingency plan that minimizes the impact of these risks.

Improved Customer Service

Air cargo tracking offers transparent, real-time updates on shipment status, allowing customers to accurately track their orders from departure to arrival. It reduces uncertainty and builds trust, as customers are kept informed about any changes or delays. Additionally, it empowers customer service teams with immediate access to shipping information, enabling them to provide quick and accurate responses to inquiries, thereby improving overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Conclusion

Air cargo tracking offers a comprehensive view of cargo movements, enhancing decision-making processes and facilitating proactive management across the entire supply chain, which is pivotal for optimizing logistics and ensuring seamless operations.

With our TrackingMore air cargo tracking solution, supporting over 90 airlines, businesses can monitor all shipments in one place. Our solution provides a centralized dashboard, real-time API integration, and automated webhooks for easier and smarter shipment management.