Good morning, and welcome to the 19th World Cargo Symposium here in Lima.
A big thank you to LATAM Cargo and their team for hosting us in this vibrant and welcoming city. This is the first time WCS is being held in South America and it's long overdue given the vital role that air cargo plays on this amazing continent.
Last year, I spoke about how air cargo delivers when supply chains are under strain. This year, our theme is Advancing Air Cargo in a Dynamic World. Dynamic from almost every angle — geopolitics, trade, technology and more. Our task is clear: to navigate change and deliver the connectivity the global economy depends on.
The months ahead will test our resolve. Evolving U.S. trade policies are reshaping trade flows. Hostilities in the Middle East are disrupting airspace and adding operational complexity. The operating environment is becoming more uncertain — not less.
Let me bring this down to something tangible: a shipment of fresh Peruvian blueberries, moving in temperature-controlled conditions from exporters here in Lima to customers in cities across the world. That shipment connects local producers to global markets. It sustains jobs, generates export revenue, and depends on a system that delivers speed, safety and reliability — especially when timing matters most.
What has been advanced
A few years ago, moving that shipment of blueberries across borders was far more complex and challenging than it is today. Temperature control was not always continuous end-to-end. Visibility was often lost between warehouse, truck, and aircraft handovers, and monitoring was often periodic rather than real time.
Shipment data often had to be entered multiple times — for airlines, forwarders, and customs — because systems, data standards, and regulatory requirements were not fully aligned across the global supply chain. Security declarations, advance customs information, and airline operational data often sat in parallel systems that did not fully connect.
Digital processes were less mature. Documentation moved as PDFs and emails rather than structured data. Each supply chain partner typically held their own version of shipment data rather than working from a shared view. And operational predictability depended heavily on manual coordination—phone calls to confirm release status, manual document checks, and direct coordination between partners.
For shippers, this meant reduced confidence that products would arrive in optimal condition, less predictability around delivery times, and greater uncertainty when committing goods to international markets. When shipping perishable products measured in hours—not days—that uncertainty has real consequences.
Today, our blueberry shipment moves through a system that is stronger, smarter, and more sustainable.
- Its journey will be supported by smarter fleet planning and routing that improves efficiency and reduces environmental impact.
- Its transport emissions can now be measured using standardized tools such as IATA CO2 Connect for Cargo — improving transparency on emissions for customers and regulators.
- It will be tracked continuously— improving visibility and helping partners respond faster when disruption occurs.
- Temperature conditions will also be monitored more consistently, supported by CEIV Fresh-certified handling standards — helping protect product quality and cold chain integrity.
- Packaging and logistics processes are more resource-efficient — helping reduce waste across the supply chain.
- And better access to global logistics networks is helping smaller exporters connect to international markets more reliably than before.
Behind the scenes, things have changed as well….
- Supply chain security processes have advanced — from stronger shipper validation to improved cargo screening and risk targeting.
- Safety frameworks have evolved — particularly around dangerous goods compliance, digital documentation, and automated validation.
- And ONE Record is enabling shared shipment data across the supply chain — supporting faster, more reliable, and more secure shipment processing.
What still needs to be done
The system is stronger today. But the environment is more demanding…
For example, there is no guarantee that the tariff environment in place when a shipment is booked will still apply when it is loaded or delivered. Trade patterns can shift quickly, sourcing regions can change within a single season, and demand can reroute flows almost overnight. Supply chains must be agile enough to adapt in real time.
Regulatory complexity is also increasing, with evolving advance data requirements, changing import rules, and different security expectations across markets.
And customer expectations continue to rise. If real-time tracking is available on one route, customers expect it everywhere.
Building the global standards needed to advance air cargo in a dynamic world is not something we complete once. It is something we must continue doing — deliberately, and together.
The work that we do together through IATA is more important than ever—and we are finding ways to do it more effectively with sharper focus on three critical priorities.
1. Advancing Digitalization
If our Peruvian blueberry shipment is going to move seamlessly across borders, the entire supply chain must be digitalized.
But cargo data still sits in fragmented systems — creating duplication, delay risk, and compliance exposure. This is particularly challenging in high-volume environments such as e-commerce, where large amounts of house waybill data must remain fully aligned with airline master air waybill records across multiple systems and jurisdictions.
This is where ONE Record plays a critical role. And the direction is clear. From January this year, the ONE Record standard became the preferred method for cargo data sharing. Airlines representing more than 70% of global air waybill volume are on track to implement it, supported by a growing ecosystem of technology providers, freight forwarders and other digital supply chain partners.
The next step is acceleration:
- Airlines and forwarders must scale implementation.
- Governments need to accept ONE Record data in regulatory filings.
- Technology providers must continue building secure, interoperable platforms.
This is just one of many digital advances we must make as an industry…and this will be turbo-charged with the power of AI.
- IATA will launch the Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub to accelerate safe, practical AI adoption across the cargo ecosystem.
- We will also introduce AI SME — a mobile and web application that enables operational teams to access cargo and safety standards simply by asking questions, placing user experience at the center of how standards are applied in day-to-day operations. As anyone who has worked with the Dangerous Goods Regulations knows, finding the right paragraph is sometimes half the job. AI SME will make that much easier.
- Together with our strategic partners, we are exploring AI interoperability proof-of-concepts. Through a cargo interline use case, we are examining how AI agents could help airlines using different systems to collaborate in real time on bookings, disruptions, and cancellations.
The goal is simple but powerful: using digitalization and AI to help airlines and the supply chain work together more easily and more effectively.
2. Strengthen Global Standards and Implementation
But technology alone is not enough. For our Peruvian blueberry shipment to move seamlessly across borders, global standards must be implemented consistently. If not, shipments face different data requirements, security formats, and inspection processes. Fragmentation drives complexity — and complexity increases the risk of delays.
Unfortunately, we face some headwinds. The global Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) are strong. But there is increasing divergence in how they are applied. The DGR allows state and operator variations — often for valid safety reasons. But as these multiply, they add operational complexity. Today there are more than 1,200 state and operator variations. For companies shipping globally, that is a significant compliance burden.
For example, some airlines require additional approvals or documentation for lithium battery shipments, even when they meet baseline DGR requirements. Others apply additional conditions or restrict shipments that are technically permitted.
Variations will always exist. But they must remain transparent, justified, and as closely aligned as possible with global standards — strengthening safety without creating unnecessary complexity. Alignment is not only about regulations. It also depends on access to the infrastructure that enables cargo to move.
At some major hubs, cargo carriers receive only temporary or ad hoc slots rather than historic allocations — including examples such as Bogotá and Dubai. In some markets, cargo flights are restricted to night-time operations, such as midnight to early morning windows in parts of Asia. Even at major global hubs like Heathrow and Gatwick, cargo operators do not typically receive historic slots, limiting operational flexibility and long-term planning.
Operational constraints can go further — including shorter parking limits, curfews, and local operating rules that add complexity.
The Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines are clear: allocation must be fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory, regardless of operation type. The solution is not to ring-fence capacity for cargo, but to ensure local processes align with these principles and maximize capacity for all users.
As global commerce evolves and demand for rapid, reliable delivery grows, fair cargo access to infrastructure is not just an operational issue — it is an economic one.
Our blueberry producers depend on that for their livelihood. And their customers—far flung around the world—rely on it to satisfy the needs of their consumers.
Ensuring fair access to capacity is essential for a dynamic global economy.
3. Safety and Security of the Supply Chain
Of course, speed and access mean little without safety and security.
ICAO Annex 18 remains the global foundation for the safe transport of dangerous goods by air. But modernization is essential. Today's supply chain is digital, fast-moving, and exposed to new risks — including undeclared dangerous goods, lithium battery misuse, and deliberate attempts to exploit cargo systems.
Modernizing Annex 18 ensures regulation reflects operational reality and strengthens the entire supply chain against emerging threats.
At the same time, we must recognize that air cargo supply chains are potential targets. Incidents involving concealed incendiary devices hidden in cargo shipments were designed specifically to cause disruption and damage. This reinforces a simple truth: cargo security is not only about compliance — it is about protecting critical global trade infrastructure.
Security processes must evolve accordingly. The cargo Consignment Security Declaration (CSD) is a critical compliance tool, but implementation is inconsistent. Interpretation varies across jurisdictions, and adoption of electronic CSD (e-CSD) solutions needs to improve. In many countries the e-CSD is still not utilized, resulting in manual processes, duplication, data inaccuracies and avoidable delays.
The direction is clear. Security data must be consistently collected and transferred across the global supply chain. And electronic CSD must become the default, with paper used only where absolutely necessary.
Modernization must also remain aligned with ICAO Annex 17 — ensuring security becomes smarter, faster, and more consistent, without compromising security outcomes. Security screening increasingly depends on advance cargo data. Pre-loading advance cargo information programs continue to expand globally, but implementation is fragmented, with differing data requirements, timelines, and system interfaces. Greater global alignment is essential to maintain strong security outcomes while preserving operational predictability.
Ultimately, supply chain safety and security are shared responsibilities. They cannot be delivered by one stakeholder alone. They require coordinated action across the entire ecosystem, including strong public-private partnerships. That is how we ensure global trade continues to move safely and securely — no matter how the threat landscape evolves.
And when our global system works as it should, its impact is felt most clearly at the shipment level — and by the businesses that depend on predictable global trade. Because in the end, what matters most is the outcome.
Conclusion
For our shipment of blueberries, it means arriving fresh, ready to enjoy, and in perfect condition. For the business shipping them from Peru, an efficient air cargo system means reaching global markets consistently — enabling growth, supporting jobs, and creating the confidence to invest in the future.
Reliable air cargo connectivity turns local production into global opportunity. It connects businesses to markets. It supports jobs and economic growth. And it keeps global trade moving — even as the world around it changes.
Advancing air cargo in a dynamic world means ensuring that shipment — and millions like it — continue to move safely, reliably, and predictably, no matter how the world changes. Because global trade will continue to evolve. And air cargo will continue to enable it.
Thank you — and have a great conference. And next time you see blueberries on your plate, you might think about the global system that helped bring them there.
