The 2025 edition of IATA’s World Cargo Symposium (WCS) took place in April in Dubai, amid evolving trade policies and tariffs. 

Despite the uncertain economic backdrop, the event’s focus remained firmly on the industry’s future development, as laid out by Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo, during his opening plenary. “The air cargo industry must continuously strengthen safety and security, fast-track digitalisation, and deliver on its sustainability commitments,” he said. 

This has been a focus for Cathay Cargo in recent years, and members of the senior team were on hand at WCS to share their experiences and successes.

Cathay Cargo in the digital lead

Our Director Tom Owen took the stage as a panellist in the opening plenary, outlining some of Cathay Cargo’s key digital transformation initiatives. These included the overwhelming adoption of booking digital platform Click & Ship, available on both the Cargo digital platform and via APIs direct to agents’ own booking systems. He also shared some of the current use cases for AI across the Cathay Cargo business, including the roll-out of lithium battery screening at the Cathay Cargo Terminal in Hong Kong. 

Tom was followed by Head of Cargo Digital Andress Lam, who touched on some of Cathay Cargo’s successful ONE Record implementations: such as exchanging eAWB (e-air waybill) data and live shipment data with freight forwarders one year ahead of IATA’s target implementation date, as well as triggering shipment milestones for intermodal journeys from the Greater Bay Area. “Our strategic outcomes with ONE Record show its value as a single source of truth, offering improved shipment visibility and transparency, enhancing efficiency and driving customer satisfaction,” she said. “And there are more use cases to come.”

Driving sustainability 

Michelle Fok, Head of Sustainable Development at Cathay Subsidiary Services, outlined some of the circularity and waste management steps that the IEnvA-accredited Cathay Cargo Terminal has undertaken to increase its waste diversion rate by more than 50 per cent within a year. Initiatives such as additional recycling facilities across the terminal, ensuring that all possible inbound plastic cargo cover sheets are recycled, and that all new outbound plastic cargo cover sheets contain at least 50 per cent upcycled plastic from the terminal.

Cathay Cargo Terminal and Hong Kong Airport Services Limited (HAS by Cathay) have also started trials for ground support vehicles powered by HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil). The renewable diesel alternative not only offers cleaner combustion, but reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by 80 per cent compared to traditional diesel fuel.

Keeping people and cargo safe

Safety and security for cargo and people have come to the fore in recent years, with challenges from both misdeclared cargo to deliberate security violations. While the industry has been working hard to minimise risk, IATA has been vocal in urging governments to take a role. “The industry has invested in training, certification and technology,” IATA’s Sullivan said in his opening address. “Governments must match that commitment with robust oversight and enforcement.” 

These remarks were backed up Cathay Cargo’s Head of Cargo Global Operations Fanny Chan in her presentation. She outlined how Cathay Cargo and the industry were addressing potential threats, such as the use of AI in identifying lithium-ion batteries during x-ray screening of cargo, as well as working with agents to correctly declare shipments through its Cargo Agent Operation Program – work which helped gained Cathay Cargo CEIV Lithium Batteries accreditation.

She noted that some sanctioned solutions presented their own administrative and physical challenges to air cargo stakeholders, such as 100 per cent security screening and the implementation of PLACI (pre-loading advance cargo information) worldwide. However, she added that air cargo had proven its resilience and agility before, and digitalisation and closer work with stakeholders and statutory bodies was key to future success.

“Collaboration among regulators, airlines and freight forwarders is essential to create a safer and more secure landscape of operations,” she said. “Resilience in our business is not only about how we seize opportunities and tackle challenges to sustain through peaks and troughs, but also our responsibility to respond to crises and changes quickly to safeguard safety and security in our industry.”

She also highlighted Cathay Cargo’s progress with people safety, including the "Work Above Ground" safety risk analysis and the introduction of new uniforms for people working in high summer temperatures. “We consider safety in our every move and are committed to create a safe working environment for our people,” she said.

Mark Watts, Chief Operating Officer at Cathay Cargo Terminal, which recently became the first cargo terminal operator to receive IATA’s SeMS security certification, stressed the importance of viewing safety and security as two sides of the same coin and in creating synergy between regulation and facilitation, giving examples at the Cathay Cargo Terminal including the enhanced lithium screening with AI, and AI powered CCTV, which can provide real-time alerts for unattended cargo at truck docks. 

A timely summit

While the Symposium took place against a fast-moving news agenda, the key message was that air cargo needed to continue its development journey. “Whatever the resolution of current trade tensions is, we know that air cargo will be there to deliver the goods people need and want,” said Sullivan.

Cathay Cargo’s Tom Owen added: “This was a very timely and high energy World Cargo Symposium given various challenges to global trade at the moment. Managing through this uncertainty is a challenge for us, but we have shown here that we have the tools and mindset to be successful.”