Air cargo leaders and regulators from across the globe pledged to work more closely together to ensure a more efficient, safer air cargo supply chain on the opening day of TIACA’s Air Cargo Forum (ACF) in Paris, France today.

The air cargo community must work towards a paperless environment to ensure the industry maintains and develops its competitiveness, especially in expanding e-commerce markets, delegates at the Plenary session of the ACF heard. The development of advanced screening technologies was also earmarked as essential to ensure a secure and efficient air cargo network.

Doug Brittin, secretary general of TIACA, was joined this morning by Fang Liu, secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Sergio Mujica, deputy secretary general of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), with all three organisations pledging to continue close cooperation in order to secure a bright future for the industry.

“We are living in a period of great transition for our industry, and collaboration among all members of the air cargo community has never been more important,” said Brittin. “Together we can work towards a common goal to ensure that new legislation does not impact air cargo flows, as well as to find solutions to ongoing challenges such as cargo delays, restrictions on the transport of lithium batteries and the impact of Big Data on our industry.”

The Plenary session was the first of 15 practical workshops and panel discussions over the three-day event, which will look at issues including the Cargo Hub of the Future, New Manufacturing Trends such as 3D printing, and Disruptive Innovation, as well as masterclasses reporting on the latest security and Customs regulations.