The restriction measures put in place by governments around the world in their efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in the volume of eCommerce shipments. This inevitably amplified the risk of dangerous goods – such as lithium batteries – that enter the air cargo supply chain. Disrupting this flow and tackling the hazards that dangerous goods can pose to operators, is essential for the safety of the employees of the carriers and handlers of the shipments.
The disastrous consequences of the pandemic for passenger travel have also seriously disrupted the air cargo supply chain, since passenger aircraft accounted for more than 60% of the available capacity. It also affected manufacturing and the economic sustainability of numerous segments reliant on-air cargo to survive.
This crisis in capacity further displayed that air cargo is a critical necessity for global well-being, with the transportation of personal protective equipment (PPE) as one glaring example. Transporting PPE is an ongoing need that is expected to remain. The next and concurrent contingency planning will be for the transport of COVID-19 vaccines that are made available, from wherever in the world they are produced.
For Civil Aviation Authorities, this means that they would need to facilitate forthcoming deliveries by air of these vaccines to or from their nations. Plans need to be put in place. Airports, airlines, ground handling companies, customs and health authorities must be in sync and prepared for the safe and secure processing, handling and eventual transportation of such vaccines.
In October 2020 the new ICAO-TIACA Safe Supply Chain virtual training course will be launched to address the current safety issues in the air cargo supply chain. The development of this new course comes as a result of a recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), where TIACA entered into a Corporate Partnership with the ICAO’s TRAINAIR PLUS Programme. ICAO actively worked with TIACA’s strategic learning and development partner – Strategic Aviation Solutions International (SASI), to deliver this course.
The ICAO-TIACA Safe Supply Chain virtual training course will provide regulatory and commercial stakeholders in the air cargo and mail supply chain with the necessary knowledge and skills to work together effectively to ensure that shipment is handled in a safe and efficient manner within the ICAO’s regulatory framework.
Through an understanding of the global market and supply chain trends, participants will gain the ability to identify the “cause” and “effect” that dangerous goods in air cargo has on the safety of the supply chain. The three-day virtual classroom course taught at a management level, covers all main topics to help leaders in the air cargo supply chain industry prepare for present and future global challenges.
This course is ideal for safety inspectors, safety and risk managers, senior supervisors, and Dangerous Goods specialists working in Civil Aviation Authorities, airports, airlines, ground handling companies, and customs authorities.
The first virtual classroom delivery session of the course is scheduled from 20 to 23 October 2020 with follow-up courses scheduled for December 2020.
