Exclusive from the other side of the pond—Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 30, 2019.
     Who can explain it, who can tell you why?
     Fools give a reason, wise men never try!

     For 26 years Air Cargo Americas has met in Miami every other year.
     Two weeks ago at the same time as Air Cargo Americas, IATA held some sessions in Amsterdam.
     Talk about the cup running over!
     Thankfully, while there were two major air cargo events going on at the same time, both were markedly different.
     First in Florida, Air Cargo Americas, among other topics in an expanded session roster, focused on Latin America-themed sales and operations, while in Amsterdam across the pond gathered a healthy sampling of the operational people of the air cargo industry at the IATA Air Cargo Events in the Netherlands.

IATA Five Session Five

     The IATA gathering featured five simultaneous sessions including Air Cargo Operations Conference, Airpharma Conference, Lithium Battery Workshop, Cargo Claims & Loss Prevention Conference and the Cargo Security & Facilitation Forum.
     This IATA summit was well stocked and delivered sumptuously by operational people that behind the scenes truly make air cargo move.
     There is no other gathering where air cargo operations from around the globe come together like this one.
     This year, over 400 attendees attended the five sessions.
     Prior to the kick off, IATA working groups covering security, customs, dangerous goods, ground handling and other important cargo members met to discuss the hot topics that airlines and their customers are facing. Many government regulators attend the event as well from the World Customs Organization, ICAO, World Trade Organization, EU regulators, U.S. TSA, DOT and CBP.

A Ford In Our Future

     Michael Ford, (right) VP of Government and Industry Affairs for BDP provided a great overview as to what it took to implement the important air cargo advance screening (ACAS).
     He stressed the need for carriers to communicate that the past is the past and change is essential. ACAS was a great example of how his global offices had to change the mindset and bring focus on data accuracy and timeliness.
     His major point was, that by paying attention to these key areas helped to in improving his customers’ experience in getting cargo cleared quicker.

Delta Cargo Calls The Hounds

     Another key panel was the move to use of third-party canine as primary screening of air cargo in the U.S. after the approval in January by the TSA.
     Jeff Koehl, Director of Operation from GK9pg and Alex Rodriguez, Compliance Manager for MSA Security were on panel with Warren Miller, Manager of Global Initiatives for TSA and Howard Stone, VP of Global Programs for UPS.
     All were able to share experiences of the first few months of new screening by man’s best friend, which have resulted in significant change in how air cargo is checked.
     The moderator for the panel Abhishek Chauhan, Program Manager - Cargo for Delta Air Lines led with some great questions: how the K9 are managed, what the issues in startup and how effective the K9 are in this new approved screening. It was evident that there is much interest of expanding K9 not just in the U.S., but in other places around the world.

At Last A TSA Man Is All Cargo

     Lastly on day one, it was great to hear from John Beckius, the new Director of the TSA’s Air Cargo Division.
     “Mr. Beckius brings a breath of fresh air from someone who understands air cargo,” observed Mike White, President of Cargo Network Services (CNS).
     “There was a good feeling that the TSA wants to work as a true partner with the industry as he explained how the reorganization of the department is being arranged,” Mike added.
     There has been quite a void in the cargo area of TSA since the departure of Doug Britton a few years ago.
     Certainly, from far and wide, air cargo stakeholders are eager to see the new department and the new director work for aviation security more in partnership with the industry. (To be continued)
Geoffrey