The iCargo solution now manages the entire cargo movement of the South African flag carrier over its network of 48 stations, including 39 international locations, five self-handled warehouse facilities and its global cargo headquarters at Johannesburg.

The South African airline was involved in the co-development of the iCargo solution along with four other airlines. "iCargo will enable SAA Cargo (a specialised cargo division of the airline) to bring its entire network to a real time basis, thus enabling improved communication to customers regarding the transport of their cargo. The integrated system allows for improved management of the overall cargo flow within the SAA network," said Gary Hoyle, CFO, SAA Cargo.

Available both in licensed and SaaS (Software as a Service) modes, the iCargo solution suite's impressive list of customers across six continents includes All Nippon Airways (ANA), JetBlue Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) and Qantas airline from Australia.

Akshay Shrivastava, senior vice president and global head of cargo line of business, IBS, said the company had always shown its willingness to lead technology change in the air cargo industry.

"The introduction of iCargo in South African Airways is the beginning of its Africa story and we believe IBS and iCargo will play a key enabling role for the air freight industry in Africa for years to come," said Shrivastava.

IBS is one of the leading IT solution providers to the global travel, transportation and logistics industry.  In 2010, it saw 55 successful "go-lives" of its solutions all around the world - equivalent to over one per week throughout the year.