Securing the air cargo supply chain

ITF civil aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho asked delegates at the sixth International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Air Transport Conference in Montreal, Canada to consider the following:

a) recognize the safety and security aspects of liberalization and the need for the participation of all stakeholders in the evolution of the economic regulation of the industry. ATConf/5 established two important basic safeguard principles that should guide the work of ATConf/6. These two basic safeguard principles should be evident in the conclusions of ATConf/6;

b) adopt a more balanced view of the social, safety and security aspects of aviation deregulation and liberalization. The background material to ATConf/6 does not adequately examine the impact of liberalization on civil aviation workers and the safety and security risks of aviation flags of convenience;

c) urge ICAO to develop in any future work program an explicit recognition that airline workers are one of the stakeholders whose interests must be considered in evaluating any proposed recommendations or guidelines; and

d) urge ICAO to work in co-operation with other United Nations agencies, particularly the ILO, in order to give a proper follow up to the conclusions of the recent ILO Global Dialogue Forum on the Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on the Civil Aviation Industry.

Air cargo shippers and air transport workers both require more transparency for the sake of security. As we have seen elsewhere in the supply chain, this will also enhance efficiency.