AIR freight will expand by 4
AIR freight will expand by 4.2 per cent annually through to 2032 provided current air cargo modernisation continues to be 'robustly and cooperatively pursued by governments and industry', says the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This was one of the key messages conveyed by ICAO secretary general Fang Liu at the organisation's air cargo development forum held in Zhengzhou.
'With current consumer expectations for same day or next day delivery driving a great deal of today's growth in e-commerce and air freight, we cannot allow the speed and efficiency of commercial operations to be impeded due to network capacity shortfalls or other infrastructure-related risks,' she said.
Stressing ICAO's fundamental commitment to safety, Dr Liu highlighted the ICAO's ongoing efforts to open air space to cargo drones and integrate them effectively with existing low-altitude aircraft operations.
Another key point of Dr Liu's remarks concerned the cooperation being undertaken in three areas which are essential today to the sustainability and profitability of air freight operations.
Dr Liu said: 'The first of these pertains to the modernisation of the regulatory framework to help remove impediments which can hinder the flow of global trade. The second is the development, expansion and modernisation of aviation infrastructure. And the third key area is the deployment of emerging technologies.'
Dr Liu noted that air transport liberalisation has helped accelerate air cargo regulatory reform and must continue, whether through bilateral or multilateral instruments.
'ICAO is developing a specific international agreement to further facilitate this dynamic. Our objective is to help states modernise and harmonise their regulatory frameworks on a multinational basis,' she said.
Concerning infrastructure gaps, Dr Liu stressed that ICAO is helping to foster and support new aviation investment through a variety of events and initiatives, and that there was never a more pressing need for increased air transport modernisation.
