This surge of contract signings in the last quarter of 2007 is part of what the company sees as a worldwide trend to automate cargo businesses, and an acknowledgement in the industry that cargo carriers can no longer survive in the supply chain without automation.

John Johnston, CEO CHAMP said: "Carriers have recognized that forwarders and ground handlers are not happy dealing with non-automated cargo carrying airlines as they have no visibility and cannot track their shipments. And as cargo often makes the difference between profit and loss for a carrier on a given route, airlines must protect this revenue."

Manual systems are unable to keep pace with the changes in the industry and to handle the increased demands of an airline in areas such as security where the provision of advance data is becoming commonplace. For this reason, airlines are not just buying operating systems but suites of products that help them track their revenue, monitor their net rates and meet these increased security demands.

"Automation once considered an optional extra has now become a necessity for survival in the cargo industry," Johnston added.