Swiss WorldCargo

Swiss WorldCargo is the airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. With a worldwide network of over 150 destinations in more than 80 countries and a broad range of services, Swiss WorldCargo adds real value for its customers and makes a substantial contribution to the profitability of SWISS.

With some 310 employees worldwide, the division is headquartered at Zurich Airport and it is led by Executive Vice President Oliver Evans, a seasoned professional with a long track record in the airfreight industry.

Swiss WorldCargo markets mainly the SWISS fleet's belly capacity between two or more airports, focusing on niches and products that generate higher added value. These include special services for valuables (Swiss Valuables), temperature-controlled goods (Swiss Perishables), express shipments (Swiss X-Presso), goods at risk of theft (Swiss Argus) and airmail (Swiss Mail).

Despite these various successful initiatives, Swiss WorldCargo remains focused on its niche strategy and building on the unique strengths of its brand and range of products. The share of special products increased by a further 2% compared to 2002. Swiss WorldCargo was able to maintain its present mail business product share and further increased it on selected routes. The launch of a new product for vulnerable cargo marked another milestone in our young history. Focusing on temperature controlled shipments Swiss WorldCargo have signed a new agreement with Envirotainer, a supplier of special equipment for temperature-controlled goods, and expect to see further significant growth in the transport of pharmaceuticals.

To make up for the decreased capacity due to the reduction of the SWISS network, a full freighter service between Zurich and Karachi and Zurich and Istanbul is in place as well as cooperation deals have been concluded or renewed with Korean Air Cargo, JAL, American Airlines, and various others.

The airfreight network is augmented by a finely meshed truck network in Europe and North America, accounting for around one quarter of Swiss WorldCargo's total freight volumes, and enabling Swiss WorldCargo to put together integrated global supply chains for its customers.

Swiss WorldCargo's main customers are international forwarders and logistics companies with regular global airfreight requirements and niche logistics companies with special requirements. While Swiss WorldCargo does not offer its own logistics solutions, thanks to leading edge IT and logistics expertise it can integrate its solutions seamlessly with its customers' supply chains.

Swiss WorldCargo strives for transparent pricing that reflects the actual value of the quality services performed for its customers. This also includes providing information on fuel surcharges, which is updated on swissworldcargo.com on an ongoing basis. The recently revamped website also enables customers to seamlessly track their shipments through the "Match" system, a tool enabling to respond rapidly and flexibly to changes in product and transport specifications, and inform customers proactively when irregularities occur.

As a result of a systematic quality management endeavours, the flown-as-booked statistics recorded by Swiss WorldCargo in the third quarter of 2003 reached the ratio of 97%. In terms of quality, Swiss WorldCargo has become an official member of Cargo 2000, an IATA interest group which brings together some 25 major airlines and freight forwarders with the goal of implementing a new quality management system for the worldwide air cargo industry.