Dubai was selected alongside the US, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Norway as having the requisite business, technical and legal frameworks in place to join the e-freight project, which is already operational in six locations worldwide.

Under the IATA system, airlines, freight forwarders, customs administrations and governments should be able to seamlessly exchange information on freight transactions using electronic documents instead of paper, dramatically cutting the time and cost of moving cargo.

Five of the 11 locations identified - including Dubai - will be selected by IATA to implement the system by the end of this year. The remaining six will follow in 2009.

The aviation industry aims to have the e-freight system in place worldwide wherever it is feasible by the end of 2010.