Seven cargo airlines working in conjunction with IATA and freight forwarders initiated e-freight pilot programs on a number of selected trade routes on Nov. 5.

The airlines are Air Canada, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Martinair, SAS and Singapore Airlines.

Cargo on key trade routes connecting the countries represented by the carriers will be processed electronically.

"The paper-free era for airfreight begins today," IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said.

"This first wave of pilots will pave the way for a global rollout of e-freight that will eliminate the paper that costs this industry US$1.2 billion every year. Combined, these documents could fill 39 Boeing 747 cargo freighters each year, making e-freight a win for the business and for the environment."

Participating freight forwarders in the e-freight pilot program are DHL Global Forwarding, Panalpina, Kuehne+Nagel, Schenker, TMI Group-Roadair and Jetspeed.

The potential impact of the increased efficiency in air cargo is expected to have "very broad implications across the global economy," Bisignani claimed.

AF-KLM said that based on its "experiences at [Amsterdam] Schiphol, we hope to introduce e-freight shipments on the [Paris] Charles de Gaulle network at a later stage" and that it is targeting 50% e-freight penetration on "important trade lanes" within five years.