The year ahead promises to be a challenging one for air cargo. Recent events across the globe will most certainly have repercussions for our industry, both from a regulatory and operational perspective. Seemingly unrelated situations, such as the refugee crisis in Europe and tightened civil security measures, have caused a ripple effect in Europe, which has an impact on all of us. While borders there remain open, delays in the ground movement of global air cargo shipments have occurred, and it is likely that we will see even more of these challenges in the future.
For shippers, forwarders and airlines in the United States, we can expect to see some early hiccups as the European Union countries begin the process of implementing the Advance Data program (called PRECISE), starting in May 2016. Under this program, every air cargo shipment will need to be pre-cleared by EU Customs/Civil Aviation authorities before it can be loaded onto an aircraft for transport to or through Europe. While it will take several years to fully implement, we will likely experience some growing pains as shipment data is gathered, transmitted and analyzed. For U.S. imports, the joint Transportation Security Administration/Customs and Border Protection Air Cargo Advance Screening program is not yet mandated, but we should see the new regulatory language from Customs during the year.
As these far-reaching programs come into play, much work needs to be done to ensure compatibility of systems and procedures. TIACA is working with global regulators such as International Civil Aviation Organization and World Customs Organization, as well as with state level regulators, to help work through as many challenges as possible in advance of full implementation, but it is a major undertaking. Security will play an ever-increasing role in our world, and it will take a wide-ranging collaborative effort between regulators and industry to ensure the highest level of security is attained without impeding the flow of commerce.
Doug Brittin, Secretary General, The International Air Cargo Association