Air cargo leaders call for collaboration

Greater collaboration between the air cargo industry and regulators is essential to deliver safe, reliable and efficient global trade, according to the Chairman of The International Air Cargo Association, Oliver Evans.
Speaking at the opening of TIACA’s Air Cargo Forum at Seoul’s Incheon Airport on October 7, Evans told delegates that ‘the industry is facing unprecedented challenges and unprecedented opportunities, we must face them together. Collaboration is key. It is a long road, but it is an exciting one and one we can be proud of.’
Joining Evans on stage for the opening plenary session of the three-day forum and exhibition were World Customs Organization Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and International Civil Aviation Organization Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, who both held meetings with the TIACA board yesterday as part of the continuing collaboration between the three organisations.
‘Air trade is an essential enabler of global connectivity, but we need to forge practical partnerships and solutions’, said Benjamin. Mikuriya added that ‘getting information at an early stage, preferably pre-loading, is vital to deciding what approach is needed to high-risk cargo. That is why we have started working closely with the industry and ICAO and we are trying to find synergies to avoid duplication between supply chain partners.’
Attracting more than 120 exhibitors and thousands of delegates, ACF was opened with a speech by South Korea’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport, Suh Seoung-hwan, and a welcome from Park Wan-su, the newly appointed President & Chairman of Incheon Airport. The conference programme includes 11 workshops and panels debating a wide range of issues from advance data to security and training.