IATA moves to a supply chain approach to boost air cargo safety

IATA is changing its strategy to a more supply chain-based approach to boost safety within the air cargo industry, a senior IATA official said.

IATA assistant director-Cargo and Safety Standards Dave Brennan said the organization is "starting to talk about" outreach and oversight. "The real issue is upstream," he said, adding "there is talk now of the supply chain approach to safety."

One catalyst for the shift was two crashes that involved lithium batteries, which are doubly hazardous to transport because of the energy they store and their chemical makeup.

One accident involved a UPS Boeing 747F, which crashed in Dubai  and an Asiana Airlines 747F, which crashed off the coast of South Korea.

A preliminary report on the UPS crash indicates the batteries had not been declared as dangerous goods, although Brennan stressed this was only an indication.

Most businesses don't understand that safety requirements are different for lithium batteries, which is why IATA is rethinking its role to collaborate with other industry groups and partners.

"We want to engage with the battery manufacturers, the cell manufacturers, the industry people," said Brennan. "We will work with the industry people (and the regulators)."

Article Source : ATW Daily News