Air Cargo Day 2017: Airfreight Frontiers, Breaking Barriers and Fostering Trade

by Payload Asia

Air Cargo Day 2017, a joint event platform, organized on 2nd November 2017 was the first step towards closer collaboration. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and SAAA@Singapore, who came together to organize the event both seek to work on various initiatives and share economic forecasts, data and statistics with the air cargo community.

 

 

 

Together, the two associations are joint synergies, with aligned visions and missions to serve the air cargo supply chain stakeholders – airlines and freight forwarders. The event, a call for and promotion of strong industry coordination, was focused on the following key drivers/pillars of synergies:

  1. Technology and Innovation

Embracing new technologies that will ensure greater visibility, transparency and efficiency – (accelerating digitization, developing real time interaction, testing drones and robots, implementing sensors and data loggers, making sense of Big Data, developing new screening technologies to enable air cargo industry to adapt, respond and survive ever-growing competition.)

 

  1. Operations and Processes Productivity

Driving excellence in air cargo handling by developing high quality standards in cargo facilities, ensuring safe, secure, efficient and transparent cargo. Building future facilities by making best use of technologies, processes and architectural developments to maximize the output of air-cargo. In terms of documentation required for membership submission.

 

  1. Talent Development

Talent development dovetails key components: upgrade, retain and attract talent into airfreight industry. Currently, SAAA is an authorized IATA Accredited Training School and Training Centre. In 2016, SAAA had been awarded 2016 Asia Pacific Top Performing IATA Accredited Training School (ATS). Courses that are conducted included IATA dangerous goods initial course, refresher course, supply chain course and cargo introductory course, to name a few.

  1. Upgrade and Retain Talent – For existing incumbents, they can choose to upgrade themselves with relevant trade related courses, such as IATA Supply Chain Course and IATA Cargo Introductory Courses.
  2. Attract Talent – Together with WSG, SAAA had a professional conversion program (PCP) for airfreight officers and executives to provide them with the foundation skills of airfreight industry, with the choice of getting IATA Dangerous Goods Course and IATA Cargo Introductory Course. Both come with funding support and salary funding support from WSG, upon completion of these courses.
  3. FACE Summit (FACES) – FACES is the annual Future Air Cargo Executive Summit for young professionals under 36 year old with the ambition to become the next generation of Air Cargo leaders and industry decision makers, and held in conjunction at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium (WCS). FACES highlights the important role young leadership plays in the future growth of the air cargo industry, and collaboration between IATA and SAAA@Singapore on programs to retain talent is critical to the industry.