Rising Demand for Air Freight Driven by Growth of Cross-Border e-Commerce What JALCARGO is Doing to Achieve Speedy Delivery

August 28, 2025

This column describes the basic features of cross border e-commerce, including its pros and cons and the main business models being used.

Located only 600 m from the Haneda exit of the Shuto Expressway, the Haneda DC enables goods to be dropped off and picked up directly from Haneda Airport. This means that cross-border e-commerce goods can be transported more speedily than in the past. Alongside the need to achieve or improve on lead times for getting goods to customers as the growth and competitiveness of e-commerce drives an increase in domestic freight volumes, issues such as labor shortages and rules on overtime work are also making it more difficult for transportation operators to meet delivery demands. We ensure that the distribution of goods runs more smoothly by taking account of the entire distribution network, including domestic transportation. This involves delivering goods to the bonded warehouses that are required for customs clearance, and handling the other associated tasks efficiently. It was for these reasons that we introduced our new export storehouse services and import distribution processing services.”

It is also efficient, as customs can be cleared at the airport (in the case of Narita) or at the DC adjacent to the airport (in the case of Haneda), and the goods are loaded as soon as customs processing is complete. We pack goods into a state ready for loading onto the aircraft and store them prior to clearing customs. We also offer a service that brings out goods at an appropriate time once customs clearance has been obtained.

Weighing and measuring are extremely important in the case of air freight as errors have the potential to cause a major accident. This is because the values obtained by measuring the weight and size are used in the transportation of the goods. Here, it is also essential that checks be performed on dangerous goods such as lithium-ion batteries and toxic or flammable materials. We have also introduced the DG AUTO CHECK system for converting dangerous goods declarations to an electronic format and performing automatic checks that reduce human error and make the work more efficient.

At Narita Airport, we have an advanced automatic rack system that provides safe and accurate operation for sorting and the affixing of dockets. The purpose of this is to shorten delivery lead times and reduce logistics costs. While staff at the Haneda DC currently do this work using scanners, we intend to work with freight forwarders and adopt new technologies such as the use of RFID tags and simultaneous scanning of bar code labels to perform the work more efficiently.

As a major courier company has a hub right next door to our Haneda DC, everything that needs to be done to get goods to the customer’s home after arrival at the airport can be completed at a nearby location. This means speedy delivery to the customer of the goods they purchase by cross-border e-commerce. Whereas in the past it may have taken two to three weeks for customers in Japan to receive products they purchased on a cross-border e-commerce site, items now arrive in just three to four days.”

Speed is not the only requirement for import/export operations. Security and accuracy are also vital. One example would be the accidental release of goods held in a bonded warehouse that have yet to clear customs. Essentially, this would equate to smuggling. We must at all cost prevent such mistakes. As mistakes will inevitably happen when work is done manually, we are actively pushing ahead with mechanization and automation to prevent errors.

As a JAL employee, I have access to a variety of resources that come with being an airline. By making good use of these resources, we work with our partners at freight forwarders and logistics companies to provide air freight services that enable even more convenient and reliable cross-border e-commerce.