IATA's latest report: Sustainability, digitalization and security of air cargo
News from Civil Aviation Resources Network on March 12, 2024: The International Air Transport Association (IATA, referred to as "IATA") summarized the achievements of air cargo in the fields of digitalization, safety and sustainable development at the opening ceremony of the World Cargo Symposium , hoping to accelerate development in key priority areas.
Mr. Brendan Sullivan, IATA's global head of air cargo, said at the World Cargo Symposium (WCS) that opened in Hong Kong today: "Air cargo volumes have now returned to pre-epidemic levels and stabilized. Current challenges It is to ensure that air cargo can maintain growth while achieving efficiency, safety and the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Through hard work, the air cargo industry has laid a solid foundation for accelerating the development of the above areas."
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Digitizing
"The biggest opportunity for the air cargo industry is digitalization. Although its progress is slower than expected, the development results are solid. From cargo tracking to customs clearance, all aspects of the cargo business are replacing inefficient paper-based manual processes with digital solutions. These This is a reality, and international trade is becoming increasingly efficient. We call on governments to consistently implement global standards, supply chain partners to work together to overcome common challenges, and entire industries to be aligned to ensure unified and effective digitalization. operation," Mr. Sullivan noted.
Air cargo has made progress in three major areas:
Seamless sharing of digital information: The ONE Record standard enables efficient data exchange throughout the supply chain. The goal is for all IATA member airlines to achieve the capability to deploy ONE Record by January 2026. Cathay Pacific Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo have already achieved this. All major airline IT platform vendors have committed to enabling ONE Record deployment capabilities to support innovation.
Digitization of customs and trade facilitation processes: Among countries that have already implemented it, Brazil has used IATA's digital standards to shorten cargo release time from 5 days to 5 hours, and the amount of manual processing can be reduced by up to 90%. The United States took the lead in deployment in 2019. The EU, UAE and Canada have also recognized the value of accurate data sharing across the air cargo supply chain and will adopt pre-loaded cargo information systems by the end of 2024.
Cargo Tracking: The latest version of the IATA Interactive Cargo Guide provides a unified framework to empower tracking devices to ensure the quality and accuracy of time- and temperature-sensitive cargo, meeting the growing demand for real-time cargo tracking in e-commerce and pharmaceutical trade.
Safety
"Safety is a top priority for the success of the air cargo business. In 2023, the air cargo industry's safety record reached a new high. There were 30 accidents in 38 million flights, one of which was fatal. Maintain good performance in operations every day The safety record means that air cargo needs to continue to pay attention to the transportation and handling of dangerous goods, and lithium batteries bear the brunt," Sullivan said.
Four major areas related to the safe transportation of lithium batteries:
The testing standards for flame-retardant air containers are pending approval.
More than 90 airlines share dangerous goods incident data through the IATA Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) program.
Guidance for air cargo carriers has been released to identify and mitigate the risks of novice e-commerce shippers using the postal system.
Annex 18 of the Chicago Convention has been updated to clarify the responsibilities for handling dangerous goods and their effective supervision, which can be deployed by countries around the world.
The "IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations" can guide air cargo companies to transport and handle dangerous goods safely, correctly and efficiently. IATA continues to strengthen its partnership with ICAO and has launched the latest version of this important rule in early 2024. Many technological innovation tools can support the air transport management of dangerous goods, including Connect API and DG AutoCheck. As the benefits of automating the documentation process are recognized, these tools are gaining industry attention.
sustainable development
Airlines and shippers have released a strong demand signal for SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), which is expected to contribute approximately 65% of emissions reductions to net-zero carbon emissions in 2050.
"We have no shortage of SAF demand signals from airlines and shippers, the problem is insufficient supply. As with solar and wind power when they were first launched, deploying production incentives is the right posture to increase production capacity. Japan is a good example, the government's Fuel suppliers have issued a 10% production mandate. Singapore has also recently taken steps to create sustainable air hubs to promote the production and use of SAF. The United States has also embedded tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act to stimulate production. We need More governments follow these positive actions," Mr. Sullivan stressed.
The air cargo industry is actively deploying technical tools and certification measures to promote the sustainable development of the industry:
Freight CO2 Connect, a tool that can accurately calculate operational carbon emissions, will be launched in the second half of 2024.
The IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) has received support from 60 industry organizations, including airlines, airports and cargo handlers, demonstrating that the industry is taking practical actions to actively promote the sustainable development of the industry.
"Industry survival depends on change. Continuous change is not easy for any industry. However, change is worthwhile and imperative. Air cargo's 60 million tons of cargo power the economy and improve people's livelihoods, making the world a better place. Motivate the industry to become more efficient, safer and achieve net-zero carbon emissions targets by 2025," said Mr Sullivan.