Cathay Cargo is preparing to welcome leaders from across the air-cargo industry to Hong Kong for IATA’s annual World Cargo Symposium in March as the host airline, alongside host airport Hong Kong International Airport.

The World Cargo Symposium is the most significant event in the air-cargo industry calendar and will draw airlines, freight forwarders and suppliers to the world’s busiest air-cargo hub to discuss an array of topics under the event’s theme of sustainable growth, with three main topic areas – digitalisation, sustainability, and safety and security.

Keynote speakers will include IATA Director General Willie Walsh, Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam and Director Cargo Tom Owen. ‘We are looking forward to welcoming guests from across the air-cargo industry to Hong Kong,’ said Owen. ‘They will be able to see for themselves that the city has recovered and is very much open for business. We will also have the opportunity to showcase the city’s world-class infrastructure and some of our own solutions and digital developments that will help maintain its premier air-cargo hub status.’

Leaders from across the Cathay Cargo team will be taking part in keynote and panel sessions. Cathay’s Tom Owen will address market factors, and Head of Cargo Digital Ingrid Lee will look into current and future digitalisation plans for the wider industry and airline alongside Simon Ng, CEO of GLS (Global Logistics System), which designs many of Cathay Cargo’s digital projects. On the sustainability side, Chief Operating Officer at Cathay Cargo Terminal Mark Watts will present on sustainable warehouse practices, while Cathay’s General Manager Sustainability Grace Cheung will address climate change strategies for aviation.

With so many leaders from across the industry in place, there will also be board meetings and progress reports on a variety of IATA-led programmes including ONE Record and CEIV, alongside discussions on issues based around the safe transport of lithium-ion batteries, ESG reporting, the demands of e-commerce and the role of generative AI.

‘Air cargo is an unsung hero of the global economy,’ said Brendan Sullivan, Global Head of Cargo at IATA. ‘In normal times, it delivers some 35 per cent of the value of goods traded across borders. When air cargo’s global leaders gather in Hong Kong for the IATA World Cargo Symposium, ensuring the future reliability and growth of this critical sector will be top of mind with an agenda focused on sustainability, digitalisation, and safety and security.’

The event runs between 12-14 March, and for more information, registration and flight offers for delegates from Cathay Pacific, visit the World Cargo Symposium website.