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In an effort to strengthen ground handling safety and efficiency, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Airport Services Association (ASA) are further boosting their partnership.1 Their objectives revolve around promoting safety data sharing, standardization, and finding new ways to improve resilience.
“Global standards make aviation safer, and ASA and its members have been pivotal in helping develop the IATA ground handling standards we rely on today. By sharing data, we will be able to support this vital activity with data-driven insights and decisions. Maximizing the impact of data relies on broad contributions. We encourage ground handler participation to strengthen our collective insights,” said Nick Careen, SVP of operations, safety, and security at IATA.
The partnership is highlighted by safety data, in which the organizations will share and analyze safety information to address safety issues that are related to ground and cargo handling. The involved parties also hope that the collaboration can serve as way to pass along best practices to other industry stakeholders.
“This partnership is a significant milestone that leverages the expertise of both IATA and ASA,” commented Fabio Gamba, ASA’s director general. “By coordinating our approach, we will ensure more robust support for ground and cargo handling professionals worldwide. Our goal is to ensure that standards and best practices are in place that the entire industry can rely on.”
In other IATA news, September 2024 global air cargo market data suggested “strong annual growth” when it came to demand.2
Total demand, which is measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, increased by 9.4% over September 2023 levels (10.5% for international operations), representing 14th straight month of growth. As for capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers, rose by 6.4% compared to September 2023 (8.1% for international operations). This can be attributed to the increase in international belly capacity, which rose by 10.3%. This streak in double-digit yearly capacity growth now stands at 41 months.
As for regional performances for the month of September, they were highlighted by Asia-Pacific airlines, which experienced 11.7% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in September, while capacity rose 8.5% year-on-year.
“September performance brought continued good news for air cargo markets. With 9.4% year-on-year growth, cargo volumes continued to mark all-time highs for demand. Yields are also improving, up 11.7% on 2023 and 50% above 2019 levels,” pointed out Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. “All this points to a strong finish for this year.”
References
1. IATA and ASA Strengthen Collaboration. IATA. November 4, 2024. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2024-releases/2024-11-04-01/
2. September Saw 9.4% Growth for Air Cargo. IATA. October 31, 2024. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2024-releases/2024-10-31-01/