The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS) will focus on building resilience to further strengthen air cargo’s post-pandemic prospects.  

COVID-19 tested the resilience of the air cargo business. Despite challenging conditions, air cargo delivered critical medical supplies and vaccines across the globe and kept international supply chains open. For many airlines, as passenger numbers plummeted, air cargo was a crucial source of revenue. In 2021, air cargo revenues reached a record $204 billion, which was more than double as compared to 2019 and accounted for some 40% of total airline revenues in 2021.

“Air cargo proved its resilience during the pandemic, and it is emerging stronger. The challenge now is to retain the momentum achieved in digitalization and other customer-centric efficiency gains. There is good reason to be optimistic. Air cargo is maintaining its strength even as economic and geo-political uncertainty grows. And this year’s WCS will focus on how the industry can capitalize on this resilience to build an even more promising and sustainable future for global air cargo,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.

Sullivan, and David Shepherd, Managing Director, IAG Cargo will be speaking at the event, which is taking place in London, UK, from 27 to 29 September. Other speakers include:
 

• Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA Chief Economist
• Dorothea Von Boxberg CEO of Lufthansa Cargo
• Turhan Ozen, Chief Cargo Officer at Turkish Cargo

Session tracks will cover several key aspects of resilience:
 

• Digitalization 
• Sustainability 
• Air cargo safety
• Attracting and retaining talent 
• E-commerce 
• Air cargo market dynamics 
• Digital distribution and booking
• Digital Cargo and ONE Record

The WCS program will be complemented by a series of workshops, including:
 

• A first-time workshop focused on improving the efficiency of billing settlements between airlines and freight forwarders (using the new CASSLINK (the Cargo Accounts Settlement System). 
• A workshop focused on improving performance on key market segments using IATA CEIV programs (CEIV Pharma, CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Lithium Batteries andCEIV Fresh).
• The Future Air Cargo Executives Summit (FACES) a forum for future air cargo executives to network and share insights on career development.

WCS is open to accredited members of the press.

View the WCS program

IATA Cargo Claims and Loss Prevention Conference 
Immediately following WCS, at the same venue from 29 September to 1 October, IATA will be hosting the Cargo Claims and Loss Prevention Conference. This event brings together experienced professionals to provide insights on claims and loss prevention practices around the world.