British Airways’ (BA) freight division has signed up to a BT route management service to monitor the progress of consignments as they are transported around the world.

The technology will also produce detailed reports to improve the efficiency of the BA World Cargo network, vital if the company is to keep up with the growing needs of global trade.

The service carries freight, mail and courier traffic to 200 destinations in 80 countries, including new routes such as Pakistan, Germany and Trinidad.

The BT route management service will enable BA World Cargo to plan, execute and measure the performance of its delivery against pre-determined standards. The service builds a route map for each shipment, sets milestones for each stage of the journey and monitors performance against the plan.

‘Air freight volumes are expected to increase significantly in line with world trade over the next decade and the air logistics industry needs to be more cost-effective,’ said BA World Cargo information systems manager Phil Jones.

‘The exchange of accurate and timely information is vital to ensure we can meet the growing requirements of our global customers.’

The route management service improves visibility across the whole supply chain, he says.