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TIACA'S POSITIONS


Market Access and Traffic Rights

TIACA believes that the current system of bilateral traffic rights, under which freedoms for all-cargo carriers are negotiated in the same 'package' as passenger operations, is illogical and discriminatory.

The arguments and considerations which may affect political and public opinion in negotiations on bilateral passenger traffic rights, still powerfully influenced by the concept and interests of 'national' airlines, are largely irrelevant to the aspirations of all-cargo carriers.

The entrenched, yet now completely outdated classification of airfreight as a subsidiary part of passenger operations should have no place in future freedom negotiations.

The fact that some predominantly passenger airlines, with combination passenger/cargo operations, gain certain preferential advantages from the present compulsory assimilation of cargo to passenger operational rights should not be allowed to mask the major economic and environmental advantages of separating the two activities as soon as possible.

TIACA is confident this change would gain widespread support and bring substantial benefits to the international trading community.

Security


Security and safety underpin everything in the worldwide air cargo industry.

TIACA will actively support measures that are proven to improve airport and air cargo security. New initiatives, however, must be effective, workable, and affordable and create a minimum of disruption to the flow of air cargo, that essentially relies on speed.

If we allow changes in security procedures that fail to meet the criteria set out above, we risk creating an environment where transport and, therefore, trade is disrupted. This will stifle commercial innovation, discourage investment and lead to unemployment and economic downturn. That is what terrorist groups want to happen. We must work together to ensure they never fulfil their objective.

TIACA's Policy on Security aims to stimulate sensible debate and action on this vital issue and sets out a way forward that can further improve aviation security and safeguard the future of air cargo at the heart of world trade.

Policy

1. Security is a global requirement, which must be threat-based and operationally consistent to be effective.

2. Security in international trade transactions should be based on end-to-end
multi-modal supply chain systems rather than on sporadic, isolated single
modal activities. One size or process does not fit all modes.

3. Security agencies should understand and make the best use of the resources and expertise which global trade and transport operators have developed and are constantly enhancing to meet their own exacting commercial and security requirements.

Security needs to combine maximum efficiency with minimum cost and disruption to the flow of goods. Authorities have an obligation to consult with the industry prior to the introduction of new measures.

4. Responses to threats should be managed as far as possible to sustain
high levels of consistent vigilance and to avoid sudden calls for extreme
caution without helpful guidance as to the form of the threat that may be
expected.

Restrictions and controls should be reasonably and visibly related to the threats they are intended to counter.

5. While sudden, unexpected developments could justify urgent unilateral action, broad security strategy and related legislation should be based on systematic consultation with responsible business interests. National legislation, which could have significant extra-territorial effects, for example import controls applied at or before export, should provide for consultation, which will include representatives of the wider trade community.

6. Consistently high standards of physical and data security, reflected in compliance records and regular audit results, should secure simplified processing for formally authorised traders, carriers and intermediaries. The aim should be to bring market forces behind control systems.

7. The use of criteria for shippers' rules and commitment that provide a high degree of security for certain categories of cargo are essential as a means of lowering shipper security costs and avoiding airport congestion.

8. New technology is the key to developing ever-increasing standards of air cargo security. A group consisting of Government regulators and airport and industry representatives should be established to evaluate and recommend new technology solutions.

9. TIACA is calling for the creation of a global regulation review process to
coordinate and harmonise security controls on a global basis to avoid the multiplicity of regulations the industry is currently faced with.

The air cargo industry is prepared to give the development of sound security measures the highest priority as a means of guaranteeing the future growth and development of the industry through a safe and secure working environment.


Customs and Other Official Agencies

The movement of airfreight consignments is subject to and dependent on the predictability and performance of customs and other official border agencies at least twice in every international transaction.

The quality of such official interventions is a prime factor in the success or failure of the overall delivery process.

TIACA therefore supports:


  1. Integrity, transparency and predictability in the application of official, especially Customs, regulations.

  2. Single agency responsibility for the various types of frontier controls, for example, collection of statistics and security, dangerous goods, immigration, public health and phyto-sanitary controls.

  3. Rapid release of cargo for onward movement on the basis of a minimal set of standardised data, leaving full clearance procedures for later attention by the trader.

  4. Modern risk-assessment control systems, offering especially simple 'Premium' procedures to compliant traders and carriers.

  5. 'De minimis' arrangements, providing an immediate 'green channel' release and clearance system for consignments falling below a certain level of dutiable value.

  6. Special procedures for the fast movement of aircraft spare parts and service equipment.

Industry Performance Standards

TIACA sees an urgent need to bring overall origin/destination timings much closer to our core speed-through-the-air commercial advantage by raising efficiency at main functional interfaces.

TIACA proposes to meet these objectives by:

  1. Setting minimum quality levels for commercial and official performance at all points of the logistical chain and raising these, over time, to encourage consistently higher efficiencies and offer optimal delivery and information services to customers.

  2. Working with shippers' councils, standards bodies, trade associations, inter-governmental organisations and others to develop and promote such performance standards.

  3. Establishing a certification system to offer brand advantages to operators applying the highest standards.

Environmental Concerns

While the contribution of air cargo to overall traffic noise and air pollution in major conurbations is happily modest, TIACA sees a special need to identify and tackle certain issues arising directly from some types of airfreight operation.

It is, for example, essential to develop environmental policies providing a sensible relationship between personal needs for acceptable noise and pollution levels with what, in airport operation, may seem conflicting considerations of employment, service supply and access to the workplace.

These pressures will grow rather than diminish. Governments and local authorities have to find sensible ways of balancing them.

TIACA advocates constructive, long-term measures as the only credible alternative to isolated ad-hoc attempts to strike temporary, local adjustments between economic and environmental counter currents.

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