RFID for Air Cargo

By Pankaj Narayan Pandit

July 30, 2007—RFID adoption in the airline industry has lagged behind retail and other sectors. In the airline industry, RFID could potentially be used to track unit load devices (ULDs) and other ground-handling equipment, as well as time-definite (TD) cargo shipments, passenger baggage and spare aircraft parts. An automated RFID-based tracking solution could not only address most of the prevalent problems airlines face in ULD management, but also emerge as the inflection point for RFID's adoption in that industry, leading to its wider usage in more applications.


Airlines need to cut cargo operational costs by efficient utilization of all ground cargo-handling assets, particularly the ULDs, aluminum pallets or containers they use. Pallets are utilized to stack air cargo shipments, while containers are used for loading baggage aboard an aircraft. One endemic problem airlines face—and one that directly impacts carriage capacity—is poor ULD tracking. Considerable working airline capital is deployed maintaining a rolling stock of ULDs.

Presently, airlines employ a legacy manual system to track ULD movement. Every ULD is identified via a two-character alphanumeric IATA code specific to each airline, embossed or etched on its metal sides. An airline's cargo-booking system has a built-in module to keep ULD stock updated. When a ULD is moved from one flight to another, a ULD Control Message (UCM) is sent to that airline's central computer, updating it with the container's location.

Internal Cargo System Used by Airlines
The present ULD tracking system has a number of disadvantages:

• Human intervention is required to read, record and relay the ULD number by a UCM.
• The system can reject the UCM due to human error, such as the wrong format.
• ULD tracking is limited to the inside and outside of an aircraft, overlooking ill-defined points around an airport's perimeter.
• There is no way to reconcile a ULD that leaves the system at one airport and reappears at another.
• There is a lack of centralized data, with no visibility into other airlines' tracking systems when ULDs are interlined (that is, passed from one airline to another).

Location of RFID Readers at Air Cargo Complex

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