Hamburg Airport adopts FAIR@Link to digitalise all cargo operations
The platform will become mandatory for pre-declaration of all air cargo during 2026.;
L to R: Nuno Esteves (Swissport), Alexander Müller (Hamburg Airport), Manfred Bayer (LUG), Thomas Schröder (VHSp), Ingo Veihl (Wisag), Dirk Gladiator (allivate), Marco Rodrigues (Swissport), Thorsten Bassen (Sable), Jens Sorgenfrei (VHSp), Dennis von Bastian (Delta Sallion)
Hamburg Airport, together with handling agents and local air freight forwarders, will make the FAIR@Link Cargo Community System mandatory to use at its cargo centre from August 4, 2025.
The system, developed by Frankfurt-based allivate, aims to fully digitalise handling and customs processes. Wisag Cargo has joined the system ahead of the rollout. The platform will become mandatory for pre-declaration of all air cargo during 2026.
Wisag Cargo has joined FAIR@Link to address the shortage of skilled workers and rising cargo volumes. Ingo Veihl, Managing Director of Wisag Cargo, said, “Instead of waiting until we receive the goods to see which consignments are arriving, we will be able to see this step much earlier, and we'll avoid double entries and paper.”
All handling agents at Hamburg Airport, including LUG and Swissport Cargo, now use FAIR@Link. Dirk Gladiator, Managing Director of Allivate, said, “The connection of all handling agents is the basis for the binding introduction of location-wide digital and standardised air cargo handling.”
Hamburg Airport’s air freight volume grew by 39 per cent last year to 65,400 tonnes. Alexander Müller, Head of Office & Logistics at Hamburg Airport, said, “This favourable development, in part due to new carriers, is quickly pushing our ground handling to a new dimension. With the Cargo Community System, we are enabling the more efficient use of existing capacities through foresighted planning and digital collaboration. We are thus positioning Hamburg Airport as an efficient and future-orientated air freight location.”
Freight forwarders will pre-declare shipments on the platform, allowing handling agents to plan capacity in advance. Customs declarations will also be prepared digitally. Jens Sorgenfrei, board member of the Hamburg Freight Forwarders Association, said, “With FAIR@Link, we are creating a robust foundation for modern, interlinked air freight processing, in which all parties involved – from freight forwarders and handling agents to authorities – can work together using a common platform.”
The FAIR@Link system was tested at Hamburg Airport in a pilot project in 2019 and has been operated by Allivate since 2024.