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BRU’s Digital Green Lane to link customs processes, eliminate paper

Brussels Airport’s data-sharing platform BRUcloud, hosted by supply chain software integrator Nallian, is planning new digital features for its Digital Green Lane application, including paperless processes for customs documents. 

(Courtesy/Brussels Airport)

The Digital Green Lane (DGL) is the standardized pickup and delivery process between freight forwarders and ground handling agents, according to the airport’s (BRU) website. 

BRU’s DGL will roll out several upgrades in the coming months, including: 

Paperless handover between forwarding agents; 
Digital driver authentication; 
Paperless customs documents; 
Improved timestamp capturing; and 
Improved interaction screens for drivers. 

The DGL ensures that “freight is being picked up or dropped off at a registered time slot, all freight information is shared digitally throughout the process and all actions during the pickup and drop-off process are registered by the driver on a mobile device,” Hilde Havermans, director of cargo communities and custom solutions at Nallian, told Air Cargo Next. 

The tool was developed in 2020 with the BRUcloud software, with incremental improvements and digital processes added each year to streamline cargo operations, Havermans said. 

More than 75% of freight at BRU is digitally processed through the DGL application, she said. BRU ranks 46th on Air Cargo Next’s top 50 cargo airports list, with throughput of 621,482 tonnes of cargo in 2022. 

Digital slot-booking, pickup and delivery are already available, Havermans said.  

“DGL especially fills the collaboration gap between different players in the supply chain,” she said. “Where other digital tools often optimize within the walls of one company, DGL, like all other Nallian products, focuses on digitization in collaboration. It covers the next level of process optimization that goes beyond company borders.” 
Embracing automation, AI 
DGL relies on technological innovations — such as automation, AI-driven functions and digital data sharing — to improve collaboration between operators, Havermans said.  

The technologies DGL uses include: 

A digital front desk or automated self-registration kiosks that allow drivers to check in without manual intervention; 
A slot-booking system; 
Automated notifications and alerts; 
Integrated systems, including software as a service; and 
Operational dashboards that monitor performance. 

“Thanks to our BRUcloud platform, we are able to accelerate digitization and make paperless processes the new standard,” Geert Aerts, then-director of cargo and logistics at BRU, said in a May 2021 release from the airport. “This realization is a great example of what gives us an edge toward other airports, becoming the first fully digital cargo airport community globally.” 

BRU’s Digital Green Lane to link customs processes, eliminate paper

Brussels Airport’s data-sharing platform BRUcloud, hosted by supply chain software integrator Nallian, is planning new digital features for its Digital Green Lane application, including paperless processes for customs documents. 

(Courtesy/Brussels Airport)

The Digital Green Lane (DGL) is the standardized pickup and delivery process between freight forwarders and ground handling agents, according to the airport’s (BRU) website. 

BRU’s DGL will roll out several upgrades in the coming months, including: 

Paperless handover between forwarding agents; 
Digital driver authentication; 
Paperless customs documents; 
Improved timestamp capturing; and 
Improved interaction screens for drivers. 

The DGL ensures that “freight is being picked up or dropped off at a registered time slot, all freight information is shared digitally throughout the process and all actions during the pickup and drop-off process are registered by the driver on a mobile device,” Hilde Havermans, director of cargo communities and custom solutions at Nallian, told Air Cargo Next. 

The tool was developed in 2020 with the BRUcloud software, with incremental improvements and digital processes added each year to streamline cargo operations, Havermans said. 

More than 75% of freight at BRU is digitally processed through the DGL application, she said. BRU ranks 46th on Air Cargo Next’s top 50 cargo airports list, with throughput of 621,482 tonnes of cargo in 2022. 

Digital slot-booking, pickup and delivery are already available, Havermans said.  

“DGL especially fills the collaboration gap between different players in the supply chain,” she said. “Where other digital tools often optimize within the walls of one company, DGL, like all other Nallian products, focuses on digitization in collaboration. It covers the next level of process optimization that goes beyond company borders.” 
Embracing automation, AI 
DGL relies on technological innovations — such as automation, AI-driven functions and digital data sharing — to improve collaboration between operators, Havermans said.  

The technologies DGL uses include: 

A digital front desk or automated self-registration kiosks that allow drivers to check in without manual intervention; 
A slot-booking system; 
Automated notifications and alerts; 
Integrated systems, including software as a service; and 
Operational dashboards that monitor performance. 

“Thanks to our BRUcloud platform, we are able to accelerate digitization and make paperless processes the new standard,” Geert Aerts, then-director of cargo and logistics at BRU, said in a May 2021 release from the airport. “This realization is a great example of what gives us an edge toward other airports, becoming the first fully digital cargo airport community globally.”