Gulf Air Cargo has achieved another major milestone with the launch of electronic Air Way Bill (e-AWB), replacing the traditional paper AWB that consumed significant time, cost and paperwork. The first cargo shipment under the e-AWB was moved from Bahrain to Dubai recently and with this achievement, Gulf Air has joined the ranks of a very few e-Freight capable airlines in the region. The move also marks another important environment- friendly initiative as the e-AWB reduces the use of tonnes of paper used for filling in several forms and documents. With the e-AWB implementation, all cargo will be tagged with bar code labels in accordance with IATA's cargo specifications making it easier for the airline as well the customer to track and follow the cargo while in transit. The e-AWB will be introduced across Gulf Air's network progressively in the coming months as it requires parties in the entire supply chain such as freight forwarders, airlines, handling agents and customs authorities to modify their systems capable of accepting and approving e-AWB information.(mar)