IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 260 air carriers or 83% of total air traffic. The organization supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
The aviation industry is a key enabler for global trade : only in 2014, air cargo carried USD 6.8 trillion worth of goods, 35% of global trade by value. It is an essential factor in connecting individual countries to the global economy, and in linking businesses to a wide range of global markets, providing a significantly larger customer base for their products. It provides direct benefits for users and wider economic benefits through its positive impact on productivity and growth .

IATA’s work related to trade facilitation

The strong connection between the global economy and the aviation industry is the reason why IATA is keenly involved in promoting trade facilitation, and proactively supporting the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Several IATA projects are tightly linked to the TFA’s objectives and directly related to some of its provisions:

• e-Freight , a project created with the aim to take the paper out of air cargo and replace it with the exchange of electronic data and messages, reducing waiting times and processing costs at borders and airports
• Secure Freight , a capacity building initiative to enhance cargo security in line with international requirements.

In addition, IATA has already undertaken the following actions to support the implementation of the WTO TFA:

• Publication of an Economic Briefing about the impact of TFA on air freight
• Issuance of a Position Paper on the TFA
• Signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNECE to jointly promote the concept of trade facilitation
• Active promotion of the advantages of adhering to the TFA at international, regional and local levels
  
  

E-Mail: cargo@iata.org
E-Mail: economics@iata.org