The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued an update on progress in digitalisation, safety, and sustainability at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Hong Kong.
Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo, told the symposium that progress in digitalisation was highlighted as a significant opportunity for the industry to amange efficient and sustainable air cargo growth post-pandemic, with a focus on achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
IATA highlighted advancements in three key digital areas, the adoption of the ONE Record standard for efficient data exchange, digitalisation of customs processes reducing cargo release times drastically, and advancements in shipment tracking for time-sensitive goods.
The importance of safety in air cargo operations was underlined, with the industry achieving new safety records in 2023. Special emphasis on handling dangerous goods, particularly lithium batteries, was noted along with progress in test standards for fire retardant containers and guidance for mitigating risks from inexperienced e-commerce shippers.
Four areas were noted with respect to the safe transport of lithium batteries:
- A test standard for fire retardant shipping containers is ready for approval.
- 90 airlines are now sharing dangerous goods incident data through the IATA Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) program.
- Guidance was published for operators to recognise and mitigate the risks from inexperienced e-commerce shippers using the postal system.
- An update to Annex 18 of the Chicago Convention clarifying responsibilities for the handling of dangerous goods and their effective regulation is now ready for global adoption by states.
IATA’s partnership with ICAO was reinforced to publish the essential Dangerous Goods Regulations document in early 2024, supported by tools like Connect API and DG AutoCheck to automate processes and enhance safety in handling dangerous goods in air cargo operations.
Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo said “safety is critical to air cargo’s success. Last year the industry’s safety record reached new heights. Among the 38m flights in 2023 there were 30 accidents, just one of which was fatal. A good safety record is earned every day. For air cargo that means continuing to put special emphasis on the handling of dangerous goods, and in particular lithium batteries. For any industry to survive, change is essential. And constant change for anyone is never easy. But it is absolutely worth it when that change delivers 60m tonnes of cargo that powers economies, improves peoples’ lives and genuinely makes our world a better place. And that is what inspires us to make our industry more efficient, ever safer and on target for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
