Page 31 - STAT Trade Times Novemmber 2024 Magazine for Website

The airport also needs to ensure that
the perishable goods are handled properly
and moved swiftly inside the airport and
not just to and from the airport. Fast and
efficient handling of perishable goods
ensures a rapid freight process and mini-
mises transit times.
Bettoni points out that the freighters
coming to Brussels Airport benefit from a He also emphasised that this transit accompanied by an ePhyto and move
dedicated cargo apron located in front of time will further decrease in future with through the process extremely quickly,”
the warehouses. new developments in the pipeline. he added.
“The dedicated cargo apron and Handling agents at the airport also Historically, certain perishable flows
proximity to the warehouses enable quick utilise specific infrastructure ranging have been routed through specific air-
unloading, priority transfers, and stream- from an inspection point for different ports and popular hubs, mainly because
lined logistics,” he said. products to multi-temperature zones, of the ecosystem surrounding them or
During the unloading process at Brus- fridges and freezers. even because of economic interests.
sels Airport, the freight is transferred with Brussels Airport is at the forefront to However, Bettoni has pointed out that
priority to the appropriate handling agent. make sure that the digital infrastructure is they are now seeing a shift where these
Explaining the process further, he also robust along with the physical. routes are maintained more out of tradi-
added, “Once inside the warehouse, the Back in 2019, Brussels Airport along with tion than functionality, resulting in the
cargo is sorted into two streams: one for its cargo community introduced the Per- respective hubs being saturated.
through units and another one for goods ishable Management App which became “This presents us with a valuable oppor-
destined for Brussels. The through units are the single point of contact for stakehold- tunity to offer a more attractive alternative
fast-tracked and if no physical inspection ers with the authorities and at the same and even new possibilities. Thanks to the
is done in Brussels, they are loaded directly time provided transparency and real-time unique features of our location, infrastruc-
onto waiting trucks. Goods destined for visibility of all perishable goods moving ture, and logistics community, Brussels
Brussels are taken to an inspection point through the airport. Airport can further support and develop
where the freight undergoes checks by the “Our digitised import process facilitates the handling of perishables,” he said.
phytosanitary authorities, according to EU seamless communication between for- As Brussels Airport pushes forward
regulations. After inspection, the goods are warders, handling agents, and phytosani- with new initiatives, it’s on track to set a
loaded on trucks for further distribution.” tary authorities. If ePhyto solutions are benchmark in perishable logistics. With
"Depending on the goods and flow, available, we can ensure a fully paperless streamlined processes and strategic part-
transfer times from aircraft on the block process,” Bettoni said. nerships, the airport is primed to reinforce
to loading of the truck in 2 hours is not He also took the example of Uganda. its standing as a key player in global sup-
uncommon,” he also noted. “Perishables from Uganda are always ply chains. 

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