Markus Ek's journey with SAS began in 2008, and he has held key positions in purchasing and sales. Notably, he has been serving as VP Global Sales, where he also took on the vital responsibility of acting Head of the Transformation Office. Markus played a key role in steering SAS through a transformative phase after the pandemic, contributing to the sustained progress of our airline.
“I am very pleased that Markus Ek has accepted the role as CEO of SAS Cargo,” says Kjetil Håbjørg, EVP Airline Services. “Markus has a long experience of the aviation industry and has a strong track record at SAS. He has been an important part of implementing the SAS Forward plan successfully whil remaining SAS’ main contact towards SAS’ key corporate, agent and charter customers. I am confident Markus will make a great leader for this business unit and continue developing its role as an important provider of critical transport infrastructure, globally as well as within Scandinavia”, Håbjørg continues.
SAS Cargo has developed into a key player within Scandinavian infrastructure during the last decade and has taken a strategic and leading industry role within digital transformation. SAS Cargo played a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic securing transport of medical equipment, goods and cargo across borders and supporting society through its biggest crisis in modern times.
Markus Ek's strategic acumen, combined with his profound insights into the aviation landscape, is a true asset to our team.
Get ready for an exciting path forward as we explore new horizons guided by Markus Ek's insightful leadership.
Starting April 27th, we are expanding our air cargo services to include daily flights to Washington DC on our widebody Airbus 330/350 aircraft. This new route will provide you with increased capacity for your shipments beyond our IAD gateway by offering scheduled trucking operations to and from the Southern Region of the United States.
For more information go to our operation page here or contact our sales team in North America, you can find all contact information here.
We are thrilled to share that as of June, SAS will be resuming traffic to Haneda, Tokyo three times a week. The route will be operated by Airbus A350, one of the world’s most fuel-efficient aircraft.
For more information go to our operation page here or contact our sales team in Tokyo, see contact information here.
Meet the all-star Cargo Experts of Japan and Korea - Katz Inaba, Haruhiko Hashiguchi, and Sachi Yanagita. With their wealth of experience and backgrounds in the cargo industry, they are the ultimate team to tackle all cargo-related aspects in their respective areas. Katz Inaba is not only our Area Cargo Manager but also a SAS Cargo representative within the local cargo industry. He oversees all cargo-related issues for both sales and operations in Japan and Korea, bringing extensive knowledge and experience in the cargo industry to the table. Haruhiko Hashiguchi is our supervisor for Cargo Sales Reservation. He handles all sales activities and operational issues, including bookings. With his IT expertise and past experience in the industry, Haruhiko is a valuable asset to our team. Sachi Yanagita is our Sales Support and Operation member, responsible for all sales activities and operational issues, with a focus on daily space and load control. Her experience in the cargo industry brings valuable knowledge and expertise to our team. Besides their primary roles, Haruhiko and Sachi also contribute to our HO projects, producing CASS Market Data across different teams. Meanwhile, Katz is working hard to introduce various cargo digital procedures, such as e-CSD (Consignment Security Declaration), with the cooperation of JAFA. Although small in numbers, our team of three has earned the title of Cargo Experts, with a long history of experience in the industry. They are the ultimate multi-taskers, making cargo-related issues look like a breeze. Their unwavering commitment to the company sets a shining example for all employees. Currently, they are highly motivated to relaunch the Tokyo route for the second time following its suspension due to the impacts of Covid and the situation in Ukraine. Just like Shohei Ohtani, the baseball sensation who excels as both a pitcher and fielder, our team members are the two-way players of the cargo industry, taking on multi-task roles and covering all cargo-related issues. The team is proud to be known as the Cargo Experts and their enthusiasm for providing their customers with the highest level of expertise and service is an inspiration.
ICS2 EU PLACI messaging – lessons learned so far: Apart from some late incoming FWB/FHLs, we can see that • 97% of all errors in customers FWB/FHLs delaying the filing to EU, are wrong or missing HS numbers. • 1% is wrong or missing Postal Code/Zip code • 1% is wrong EORI number, where EORI number has been reported • 1% is too many lines in FWB (max 65 lines) Please ensure the correct HS number (approved in EU database) for swift EU filing reply. A brief overview of response times for EU replies from the monitoring period of August 24th to 29th reveals the following: 84% within 1-15 minutes 16% within 15-30 minutes 0 beyond 30 minutes Forwarder Self-Filing Update: Currently, SAS Cargo is unable to accept self-filing by forwarding agents. This limitation stems from the need for full DK customs implementation, which is essential for enabling such filings. Once the DK customs integration is complete, SAS Cargo will be open to discussing the possibility of accepting self-filing if deemed necessary. If you have questions you are welcome to contact cargobooking@sas.dk - please put “ICS2” in the subject line.
ICS2 EU PLACI messaging starts SATURDAY 01JUL We have used your FWB/FHLs in test and can see many rejects due to:
Thank you for your assistance – let us work together and try to prevent any delays due to EU rejects.
NB: Start 01 JUL 2023 ICS2: The extra element for a shipment to be Ready For Carriage (R4C) for flights into EU/EEA is that the shipment has received approval from EU pre-loading. This means:
In case of negative reply or request for information or screening which require actions or analysis, corrections, contact to the customer in question, we will do all we can in order to solve the issue or contact the customer as soon as possible. If it cannot be solved within time of LAT, then the goods will be rebooked to a later flight whilst in pursue of positive response from EU. In case of extra service in connection with retrieving approval from EU, a fee might apply. *LAT is for known (secured) shippers *See more helpful information in www.sascargo.com technical overview and air messaging guidance ICS2 Air Messaging *TACT IATA requirements for R4C still apply.
If you have questions you are welcome to contact cargobooking@sas.dk - please put “ICS2” in the subject line.
Info:
Update May 23, 2023
Please note that the FWB+FHL/FZB you send need to contain the full routing of the shipment, as the routing (to/through Europe) will be the identifier for SAS Cargo to send the Pre-Load message. The SITA address you will use is the same as today (DSGTPXA).
The EU's new advance cargo information system ICS2, supports implementation of this new customs safety and security regulatory framework aimed to better protect single market and EU citizens. It will collect data about all goods (cargo and mail) entering the EU prior to their arrival.
EU will use the pre-loading and pre-arrival message (PLACI) to perform this security and trade risk assessment.
The scope is that all airfreight shipments (cargo and mail) into or via the countries EU27, Switzerland, Norway, and Northern Ireland, will have to comply with new data filing requirements. This will affect the transport chain considerable as all shipments must have OK from EU customs prior to loading at any export station with shipment into or via Europe.
The information will be on an FWB+FHL/FZB level
The start date was set to be March 01st 2023. SAS Cargo has received approval on delay of ICS2 deployment until July 01st 2023.
In SAS Cargo we are currently adjusting our IT systems and ensuring our processes (within the company and Handling Agents) to comply with the new requirements of submitting the necessary messages to the states’ customs authorities at the right time. How the ICS2 will affect the acceptance process is not yet fully in place.
SAS Cargo, as the Carrier, is the responsible party for ensuring the information is being filed with EU customs – and will send a Pre-Load message on every shipment before load. Therefore, our customers need to send additional information to SAS Cargo in the FWB+FHL/FZB in order for the shipment to be “Ready for Carriage” (R4C) - and it must be sent in due time before Latest Acceptance Time (LAT) of a Truck or Flight departure.
Will you be able to comply with the ICS2 requirements?
“Ready for Carriage” (R4C) – the FWB+FHL/FZB will need:
1. EORI number a. Receiver (consignee) must inform the sender of EORI number (Economic Operator Registration and Identification) which must be shown in the commercial invoice and in the FWB+FHL/FZB to SAS Cargo. Where EORI is not available (e.g. Switzerland, Norway and Northern Ireland), the company number/organization number/VAT registration number must be shown.
2. HS code a. Please include an accurate goods description for each article of the consignment along with the HS6 code (Harmonized System) in the FWB and the FHL/FZB(s) to SAS Cargo. 3. MRN number a. If the Forwarding Agent are self-filers, an MRN number (Movement Reference Number) need to be on the FWB+FHL/FZB
The FWB+FHL/FZB can be sent as Cargo Imp (CIMP) FWB + FHL, or Cargo XML (CXML) XFWB + XFZB (preferable).
Postal Customers shall follow IATA PLACI 8.9 filing setup and forward AR flag to SAS Cargo in order to be Ready for Carriage (R4C).
PLACI message
Upon receival of the FWB+FHL/FZB, SAS Cargo needs to send the PLACI (the pre-loading advanced cargo information) for each FHL/FZB through a complete electronic Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) - identified with eight data elements known as 7 + 1 which are: 1. the number of pieces 2. total weight 3. general cargo description (+ HS6) 4. shipper name 5. shipper address 6. consignee name (+EORI) 7. consignee address + plus the house air waybill number
This information will result in following reply from EU:
• Assessment complete • Request for information • Request for screening • Do not Load • Hold • Release
Non-Compliance to above information:
Missing or rejected declarations from customs can result in:
• stopped/delayed consignments at acceptance • consignments stopped or delayed at customs • enhanced security screening • flight delays • possible sanctions imposed for non-compliance
Please also see the SAS Cargo “Conditions for Carriage"
Visit the EU customs and Danish customs for more information.
Effective March 2023, the European Union (EU) will implement the Release 2 of its new “Import Control System” (EU-ICS2) regulations. As a result, all air cargo and mail shipments carried to or via EU Member States will need to comply with EU-ICS2. This means changes to electronic messages and to processes for many players in the air transport logistic chain; Shippers, Forwarding Agents, Ground Handlers and Carriers. SAS Cargo plans for implementation on 01.07.2023, and will soon publish information about what we need from our customers and which effect the ICS2 will have on our processes in order to comply with the EU regulations. Please see the following link for more explanation ICS2
On December 16th 2022, SAS started offering more frequent departures between Copenhagen Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport. After operating the second weekly flight for the first time on the 16th of December, SAS will fly from January 6th from Copenhagen to Shanghai every Tuesday and Friday and from Shanghai to Copenhagen every Thursday and Sunday, throughout the winter season. The flights are conveniently timed with late evening departures from Copenhagen and early morning arrivals back in Copenhagen to ensure full connectivity for passengers and air cargo with the SAS network. SAS operates the Shanghai route with the Airbus A350. Apart from offering passengers a unique travel experience, this aircraft has a much lower fuel consumption and up to 30 percent lower CO2 emissions than previous comparable aircraft.
SAS has expanded its customer and cargo offer to New York by starting a direct route to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, from Copenhagen.
On 9 February, SAS launched its new route between Copenhagen Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. With the new route, it will be possible for SAS' customers to travel easily to and from New York's west and east sides, as SAS continues to fly from Scandinavia to Newark. The first flight will take place with SAS' latest addition to the fleet, the A321 Long Range but as of the summer program which will start in late March 2023, the route will be flown daily with an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. This will improve our offering to SAS Cargo customers also
With the launch of its new route to JFK in New York, SAS offers frequent departures to this convenient and efficient airport, with easy access to and from New York, as well as many options for onward flights.
To start with, SAS will fly to JFK five times a week from Copenhagen. The frequency will be increased to daily departures when the summer traffic program comes into force. SAS Cargo uses WFS as Cargo Handler in building 151 at JFK. You can find more details under “Operations” > Handling by Station > JFK or click here.
"We are delighted to open our new route to JFK. SAS already offers a solid product to Newark from Scandinavia, and we believe that this addition of a route to JFK from Copenhagen will strengthen the New York offering for our customers. USA is a strategically important market for SAS and we will continue to develop new routes and destinations," says Anko van der Werff, President & CEO, SAS.
SAS is experiencing continued demand for more and more frequent departures to American destinations. In winter, SAS will offer approximately 130 weekly departures, on a total of 12 routes.
