Governments must continue to pursue air cargo modernisation and liberalisation in order to ensure air freight volumes will continue to grow at the healthy rate of 4.2% through to 2032 as is expected.
This was the message from International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) secretary general, Fang Liu, at last week’s Air Cargo Development Forum in China.
“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.
According to Liu, modernisation of the regulatory framework for air cargo would help to remove impediments that could hinder the flow of global trade, while air transport liberalisation has already helped accelerate air cargo regulatory reform and therefore must continue.
“Icao is developing a specific international agreement to further facilitate this dynamic,” said Liu. “Our objective is to help states modernise and harmonise their regulatory frameworks on a multinational basis.”
She also highlighted the development, expansion and modernisation of aviation infrastructure along with the deployment of emerging technologies – such as opening airspace to integrate cargo drones – as key areas that were essential to the sustainability and profitability of air freight operations.
Liu called on states to reinforce the regulatory foundations of global cargo operations through the implementation of Icao economic policies and noted that the organisation was helping to foster and support new aviation investment in order to close infrastructure gaps.
