THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has commenced an initiative to minimise audit complexity and prevent duplication for cargo handling facilities.
The move comes as it is estimated 360,000 days per year are wasted on redundant cargo handling audits. A new Smart Facility Operational Capacity Audit Certification (SFOC Audit Certification) programme aims to reduce redundant efforts across the industry by half through removing the need to validate generic cargo operation procedures.
The second part of the initiative is the Audit Reduction Commitment (ARC). Airlines participating in the SFOC programme will undertake a gap analysis to determine which audit standards will not need to be assessed for SFOC certified facilities. The revised audit scope is then defined through the ARC, reported London's Air Cargo News.
Individual airlines will provide clear visibility on the potential audit reduction for SFOC certified facilities, ensuring there is a solid mechanism to eliminate redundant audits. Singapore is the initial focal point for this new analysis with SATS Ltd and Singapore Airlines the first to sign up.
IATA's global head of cargo Glyn Hughes said: 'Auditing is critical to ensure the global standards that underpin the safe and efficient operations in the aviation industry. IATA's strong capabilities in auditing have been proven in the successful IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and CEIV programmes. The SFOC programme will bring this expertise to general cargo handling operations.'
SATS Gateway Services CEO Yacoob Piperdi added: 'SATS is delighted to be the world's first cargo ground handler worldwide to achieve the IATA SFOC Certification. We are delighted to have Singapore Airlines as our partner and the first carrier to commit to ARC.
'The certification affirms SATS' consistent standards and the quality of our service. We hope other airlines will follow this example to realise the SFOC programme's full audit efficiencies for the entire industry.'
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The move comes as it is estimated 360,000 days per year are wasted on redundant cargo handling audits. A new Smart Facility Operational Capacity Audit Certification (SFOC Audit Certification) programme aims to reduce redundant efforts across the industry by half through removing the need to validate generic cargo operation procedures.
The second part of the initiative is the Audit Reduction Commitment (ARC). Airlines participating in the SFOC programme will undertake a gap analysis to determine which audit standards will not need to be assessed for SFOC certified facilities. The revised audit scope is then defined through the ARC, reported London's Air Cargo News.
Individual airlines will provide clear visibility on the potential audit reduction for SFOC certified facilities, ensuring there is a solid mechanism to eliminate redundant audits. Singapore is the initial focal point for this new analysis with SATS Ltd and Singapore Airlines the first to sign up.
IATA's global head of cargo Glyn Hughes said: 'Auditing is critical to ensure the global standards that underpin the safe and efficient operations in the aviation industry. IATA's strong capabilities in auditing have been proven in the successful IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and CEIV programmes. The SFOC programme will bring this expertise to general cargo handling operations.'
SATS Gateway Services CEO Yacoob Piperdi added: 'SATS is delighted to be the world's first cargo ground handler worldwide to achieve the IATA SFOC Certification. We are delighted to have Singapore Airlines as our partner and the first carrier to commit to ARC.
'The certification affirms SATS' consistent standards and the quality of our service. We hope other airlines will follow this example to realise the SFOC programme's full audit efficiencies for the entire industry.'
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