PACTL becomes first mainland China cargo terminal to earn Cargo iQ certification

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co. (PACTL) has become the first air cargo terminal operator from the Chinese mainland to achieve Cargo iQ Certification, closing an audit process that covered both PACTL and its subsidiary PACTL WEST.

The certification recognizes implementation of Cargo iQ's quality standards for ground handling operations at the two facilities. Cargo iQ, an industry initiative supported by IATA, promotes common quality standards and performance measurements across the air cargo supply chain. Its framework defines and monitors key shipment milestones, aiming to improve process transparency, data quality and operational performance.

PACTL joined Cargo iQ in June last year. The company said the certification marks a step in its efforts to strengthen shipment visibility, support consistent performance measurement and enhance service quality through data-driven management. That timeline deserves scrutiny. Certification roughly a year after membership is fast by industry standards, and Cargo iQ's own executive called the implementation "swift and rigorous." What the announcement does not say is how the two terminals scored on specific milestone adherence, or whether any findings required remediation. The audit results themselves remain unpublished.

What does the certification change for airlines?

Working with IATA, PACTL integrated Cargo iQ requirements into its operational processes and built a dedicated database for daily data analysis and performance monitoring. For carriers and forwarders handling freight through Pudong, the practical promise is standardized milestone data — the same shipment checkpoints measured the same way, reported consistently. That supports better planning and earlier exception detection. The caveat: certification measures process implementation, not outcomes. Sustained performance will show in the daily data, not the certificate.

PACTL's digital efforts run wider than the audit. The company lists three parallel initiatives:

• Easy Cargo 2.0 — its cargo system upgrade
• Hermes 5 upgrade — the warehouse management platform
• ONE Record pilots — IATA's framework for connected data exchange in digital cargo handling

These complement the Cargo iQ work, according to the company, by supporting connected data exchange and digital cargo handling processes. Pilot status is not deployment status. ONE Record remains in trial at PACTL, as it does across much of the industry.

What the executives said

"Achieving Cargo iQ certification reflects our commitment to operational quality through consistent processes, data-driven management and continuous improvement," said Carsten Hernig, deputy general manager of PACTL. "It represents the collective efforts of our colleagues at PACTL and PACTL WEST and provides a foundation for further strengthening operational transparency and service quality for our airline customers and logistics partners."

A foundation is a starting point, not a result. Hernig's language commits to process, not to specific performance targets.

Marie Seco-Köppen, executive director of Cargo iQ, added her endorsement. "Congratulations to PACTL for its swift and rigorous implementation. Achieving this milestone reflects strong leadership and a clear commitment to quality standards and operational excellence in ground handling," she said. "PACTL's active engagement within Cargo iQ demonstrates how collaboration drives continuous improvement and ensures regional perspectives are and will be reflected in the evolution of our global standard."

Her second point carries the strategic weight. A mainland Chinese terminal inside the Cargo iQ framework extends the standard's reach into one of the world's largest air cargo markets, and gives Chinese ground handling a voice in how that standard evolves.

The operator behind the certificate

PACTL operates three cargo terminals at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and one at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Its shareholders are SAA Logistics Development Co., Ltd. at 51%, Lufthansa Cargo AG at 29%, and JHJ Logistics Management Co., Ltd. at 20%. The Lufthansa Cargo stake links the operator to a European carrier group already steeped in Cargo iQ practice — a plausible factor in the speed of implementation, though neither company says so directly.

Following certification, PACTL said it will continue to strengthen quality management through performance monitoring, digital innovation and collaboration with industry partners. The next test is whether the dedicated database produces published, comparable performance figures — or whether visibility remains an internal tool.