Standards needed to protect booming Asian pharma market

SINGAPORE — While much of the air cargo market has had its hiccups so far this year, one constant has been the strong outlook for the Asian pharmaceuticals market, which is expected to grow 8.3 percent by 2021 — that is, if the air cargo business can keep it well protected and cool enough in […]

• Nina Chamlou
• March 13, 2019

The invisible factor contributing to the pharma digitalization delay

SINGAPORE – Technology geared toward improving the transportation of temperature-sensitive cargo is better than ever. However, there was a consensus during yesterday’s pharma-focused panel discussion, “Discussing air freight operational challenges,” that there is still a long way to go before the industry catches up with the capabilities of today’s technology. A study from Aspen Global […]

• Nina Chamlou
• March 13, 2019

de Juniac’s air cargo priorities for 2019: Trade, global standards, modernization

SINGAPORE — After acknowledging a rather sour start to the year for air cargo, IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac, in today’s opening address of the 13th World Cargo Symposium, called on governments and the air cargo industry to reverse this trend by focusing on three priorities to expand air cargo demand and maximize economic […]

• Randy Woods
• March 12, 2019

Pearce: No growth for the last 12 months is ‘something to worry about’

SINGAPORE – Economic reports are often a mixed bag. For every positive sign, there are several lurking omens that could spell disaster. On March 12 at IATA's World Cargo Symposium (WCS), Brian Pearce, chief economist at IATA, addressed the current economic conditions of the air cargo industry, and it was hard to read his assessment […]

• Nina Chamlou
• March 12, 2019

Can integrated trade survive in these protectionist times?

SINGAPORE – At IATA's World Cargo Symposium (WCS), speaker Brian Pearce, chief economist at IATA, said at the “Enabling Global Trade” panel discussion that he thought the industry was “at a dangerous junction, because in many ways, I think the West is moving away from that model that is the integrated world that we were […]

• Nina Chamlou
• March 12, 2019

IATA Air Cargo Innovation Award finalists focus on ULD tech

For the third year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the names of three finalists for the organization’s Air Cargo Innovation Awards. This time, all three focus on the same piece of equipment in the supply chain: the ubiquitous unit load device (ULD). IATA’s judges winnowed down the short list of finalists from […]

• Randy Woods
• February 20, 2019

Top 10 things overheard in Dallas at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium

IATA’s World Cargo Symposium 2018 is now history, but between the 13 separate, concurrent tracks and all the networking that was done by more than 1,100 delegates in Dallas a couple weeks ago, chances are there were several words of wisdom you may have missed, even if you had attended every day. As a refresher […]

• Randy Woods
• March 28, 2018

WCS 2018: IATA launches digital tools for dangerous goods declarations

DALLAS – It was a busy conference for dangerous goods (DG) last week at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium. In an effort to encourage electronic management DG handling and improve safety, IATA introduced both its Dangerous Goods AutoCheck (DG AutoCheck) platform and its e-Dangerous Goods Declaration (e-DGD) standards. DG AutoCheck stands as a bridge between the […]

• Randy Woods
• March 19, 2018

WCS 2018: Supply chain optimization through collaboration

DALLAS – End-to-end supply chain optimization is a common goal that all stakeholders in the air cargo industry are working toward, but what does it take to get there? Wednesday’s Cargo Transformation Track at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium featured a lively panel that explored how to move the industry beyond the obstacles and challenges of […]

• Charles Kauffman
• March 16, 2018

WCS 2018: An inside look at Southwest Cargo

DALLAS — As a last stop in Dallas following this week’s World Cargo Symposium, the Air Cargo World team received a tour of locally-based Southwest Airlines’ cargo operations at Dallas Love Field (DAL). The carrier is scheduled to launch its new Southwest Cargo Suite (SCS) on March 25, which will allow it to begin international cargo service between […]

• Caryn Livingston
• March 16, 2018

WCS 2018: Three scenarios for air cargo market growth

DALLAS – Industry-wide air cargo traffic growth is once again an invigorating subject. Despite the increase in protectionist rhetoric threatening robust global trade, evidence suggests that “nearterm geopolitical trends will not inhibit air cargo growth,” said Brian Clancy, managing director of Logistics Capital & Strategy (LogCapStrat), during Tuesday’s Plenary Session presentation at IATA’s World Cargo […]

• Charles Kauffman
• March 15, 2018

WCS 2018: Making a business case for cargo innovations

DALLAS – Blockchain, artificial intelligence (A.I.), augmented reality, the “internet of things” (IoT) – the formerly lowtech air cargo industry has become clogged with technical buzzwords that few cargo managers seem to truly understand. But at Monday’s Horizon Innovation Workshop, held during IATA’s World Cargo Symposium, moderators sparked an interactive discussion about how technology can […]

• Randy Woods
• March 14, 2018

WCS 2018: The cross-border wave is coming – are you ready?

DALLAS – During Tuesday’s e-commerce panel at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium, e-commerce growth was a foregone conclusion, leaving panelists to discuss the more important question — is the air cargo logistics chain ready for the coming wave? “We expect by 2020 we will see a triplification of cross-border flow,” said Liam O’Sullivan, director of operations […]

• Caryn Livingston
• March 14, 2018

WCS 2018: Schooling shippers in CEIV

DALLAS — As with the proverbial horse that is led to water it refuses to drink, air cargo players offering shipments certified by the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) have found their own challenge in shippers not taking advantage of the available pharma shipment options. Shippers instead opt to […]

• Caryn Livingston
• March 13, 2018