THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) reviewed progress in digitisation, safety and sustainability at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Hong Kong.
"Air cargo volumes are now firmly back to pre-pandemic levels," said Brendan Sullivan, IATA's cargo chief.
"The challenge now is to ensure that air cargo growth is efficient, safe and aligned with achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
"Through the hard work of the air cargo industry, the building blocks are in place to significantly accelerate progress in all these areas," said Mr Sullivan.
"The biggest opportunity for the air cargo industry is digitalisation. This has not happened as fast as any of us would have liked. But progress is real. Inefficient paper-based, manual processes are being replaced with digital solutions in all aspects of cargo operations from tracking to customs clearance," he said.
He said airlines and shippers have given strong demand signals for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) which are expected to account for some 65 per cent of the needed mitigation to achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050.
"There is no shortage of demand signals from airlines and shippers to use SAF. The problem remains a shortage of supply. As we saw with the introduction of solar and wind generation for electricity, production incentives are the way forward.
The IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) is supporting 60 organisations from the industry, including airlines, airports, and cargo handlers, to demonstrate how their sustainability actions are positively impacting the industry.
Said Mr Sullivan: "For any industry to survive, change is essential. And constant change for anyone is never easy. But it is absolutely worth it when that change delivers 60 million tonnes of cargo that powers economies."
Source: shippingazette