Pictured at FIATA's annual conference October 7, in Dublin were left to right—Halit Anlatan, Cargo VP Sales & Marketing Turkish Airlines; Turgut Erkeskin, President, Turkish Freight Forwarders Association - UTIKAD, and Seref Kazanci, Turkish Cargo Senior Vice President. No doubt this week in Istanbul at the Logitrans International Transport Logistics Exhibition, both Turkish Cargo and UTIKAD, the Turkish Freight Forwarders Association will be in full force.

   Halit Anlatan, Turkish Cargo VP Sales & Marketing at Turkish Airlines on the importance of forwarders:
   “For the past half decade in the air cargo sector, global hi-tech and international companies have increased tonnage, and as a result the expectation for lower freight rates has been in play.
   “That has caused some pressure to indulge new sales strategies on the airline end.
   “In fact, we can say that doing business, including air cargo sales that had not changed for 50 years, is undergoing significant change in 2016.
   “All of this activity points to the need for our enhanced relationship with freight forwarders, and looking ahead we only see a continued evolution in the way air cargo does business. It requires a more professional structure between airline and forwarder as a basis to how we both will do business in the future.
   “In the air cargo sector, where need for know-how is felt the most, the airline-freight forwarder partnership must speak the same language. The stronger our cooperation and understanding with the forwarder, the greater air cargo industry growth. That is why Turkish Cargo thinks of and calls forwarders our friends and partners.”

Nowhere To Hide

   “Since the end of 2015 and now again in 2016, the negative effects of the global economy continue to be felt everywhere.
   “As airline companies and forwarders, we are on the same flight together, like it or not.
   “We all see and believe that enhanced global trade and closer cooperation can lift everyone above and beyond most challenges.
   “We need to keep searching for new solutions with our partners.
   “All of this said, our message here is quite simple. We are very satisfied with our worldwide agents who honor us, partnering their businesses with our services.
   “Freight forwarders need to know that we want them to speak up loudly, pushing us for better service and new trade routes.”

Non-Stop Changes

   “As mentioned earlier, Turkish Cargo foresees great changes ahead in the air cargo sector.
   “We are gearing up for airline companies and forwarders to work together in an atmosphere of enhanced cooperation.
   “By working together, we can all go even further than otherwise might be possible.
   “We look forward to product-specific and key-account based cooperation that will draw our partnership even closer.”

The Same Page

   “It is not possible for two organizations that work so close to each other not to affect one another. Our organizations need to draw even closer together and work hand in hand to enlarge our sector together.
   “Both airline and forwarder companies should make standardization of services job number one in order to make what we do more compatible with trade and increased quality level.
   “However, it is becoming more and more crucial today for the airlines and agents to find a way to help our common partner, the shipper, understand exactly what to expect in real time.
   “For example, certain limitations and prohibitions that airline and forwarder companies face—such as security concerns, embargos, operation preparations, etc.— need to be transparent to our customers for the sake of the partnership.”
Geoffrey