TIACA UPDATE
The International Air
Transport Association is
TIACA’s main industry partner.
Together with IATA, the
Global Shippers Forum and
the International Federation
of Freight Forwarders
Associations, TIACA several
years ago formed a Global Air
Cargo Advisory Group, the
GACAG.
It advocates common
positions, for example a
common stand on Brexit, and
wrote letters to advocate its
position to both Whitehall and
Brussels. It also aligned views
on aviation security, European
emissions trading and lithium
batteries, and other issues
where a united industry voice
has been deemed useful.
TIACA also has a broad
programme of collaboration
with ICAO. For example, the
two organisations jointly
organised an Air Cargo
Conference in China last year
and contributed to the ICAO
Air Services Negotiation in
Kenya. Gadhia and Zubkov
took part in the round table
forum for aviation policy
makers, regulators and
representatives of the industry,
discussing the benefi ts of
liberalisation of international
air transport with a special
focus on air cargo services.
In May, ICAO invited
TIACA to organise an air cargo
panel at the Fourth ICAO Air
Transport Symposium in South
Korea; the two organisations
are currently in the process
of discussing collaboration in
sustainability and unmanned
aircraft. TIACA has also just
completed the preparations
for signing an agreement
with ICAO on collaboration
in the training fi eld, and
will undertake to develop air
cargo modules for the global
TRAINAIR programme.
Zubkov adds that TIACA
has also greatly improved
its collaboration with
ACI (the Airports Council
International), a global event
that until recently never had
any cargo element. Similarly,
Gadhia and Zubkov have also
reached an agreement with
AFRAA to include an air cargo
panel in the latter’s annual
general meetings for the fi rst
time.
Sustainability
Celine Hourcade, TIACA’s
Project Manager in charge
of the organisation’s
sustainability programme, says
that there is a lot that can be
done to make air cargo more
TIACA DISSECTED
The mission of TIACA is “to represent, support, inform and
connect every element of the global air freight supply
chain” and “support and develop an effi cient, modern, and
unifi ed air cargo industry worldwide.”
Members of TIACA come from all parts of the
airfreight industry and include airlines, forwarders,
handlers and shippers.
Like many industry bodies, it is perhaps best known
to outsiders for its advocacy work, and indeed TIACA
says that it is the only organisation representing all
sectors of the global air cargo supply chain. TIACA lobbies
governments and regulators, and champions every size
Promoting best
practices and
rewarding good
ideas is what it is
about
Celine Hourcade, Project Manager
of business, helping to shape the policy which affects all
its members.
It focuses on providing a unifying voice for the
industry, working for global standards, and raising the
profi le of air cargo. It regularly hosts panel discussions,
bringing together regulators from across the globe.
But TIACA is also very active in training and offers a
range of courses to help airfreight industry people develop
their management, leadership and communications skills.
It also works with experts from across the globe to
offer consultancy from a range of disciplines to support
members and the industry at large.
sustainable as an industry. She
explains:
“Airlines are already heavily
committed to reducing their
carbon footprint, they are
investing heavily in fl eet
renewal and in sustainable
alternative fuels, and better
operations and technologies.
On the cargo side, it means,
for instance, investment
in lightweight containers,
which greatly reduces fuel
consumption – and this is just
one example.”
However, she points out,
TIACA is nothing without its
members: “The industry is
already doing this, so it is not
about TIACA doing something
new. It’s more about TIACA
being the voice of air cargo
and explaining to shippers
and freight forwarders what
airports and airlines are already
doing, for example, and
understanding what customers
are looking for.
“Promoting best practices
and rewarding good ideas is
what it is about, which is why
the fi rst element of our new
Sustainability Programme is
the fi rst Sustainability Award.
It is important to showcase
good ideas, reward them – and
show that it is possible to do
something different.”
TIACA is in the vanguard of efforts to drive up
standards in airfreight through the Cargo Service Quality
scheme, a fully automated, technology-driven tool
designed for an independent assessment of the service
quality delivery at each step of the air cargo supply chain.
TIACA also organises one of the industry’s main
networking events, the biennial Air Cargo Forum, which
brings together thousands of airfreight decision makers
and supply chain operators from across the globe.
Air Cargo Forum 2020 will take place over November
10-12 in Miami, Florida, and will be hosted by Miami
International airport.
24 October 2019 www.airlogisticsinternational.com
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