Cathay Pacific Cargo has received IATA’s CEIV Live Animals certification, making us the third airline worldwide to hold this accreditation.
The certificate was handed over by IATA General Manager Hong Kong and Macau, Yvonne Ho, to Kevin Fung, Head of Cargo Global Operations, at a brief ceremony at Cathay City in Hong Kong in December.
Attending virtually were Brendan Sullivan, IATA Director of Cargo, and Maria Jitomirski, Manager, Special Cargo at IATA. ‘The COVID-19 crisis really has demonstrated the real importance of air cargo across the board,’ said Sullivan. ‘Having Cathay Pacific become CEIV Live Animals certified is a huge boost for meeting shippers’ expectations when it comes to standardisation and transparency across the live animal supply chain.
‘I believe this is essential, as air cargo continues to be very challenged as we struggle through the pandemic. So, from my perspective, firstly, thanks for all of your support – and also congratulations. This was not an easy time to do any of this, so I really appreciate the way that you have adapted to the COVID environment.’
Live animal shipments are subject to very specific requirements to ensure safety and welfare. Transporting by air has long been seen as the most beneficial to their welfare because of the reduced journey times, but the continued disruption to ocean freight is intensifying this factor.
Even ahead of the tightening supply chain, Cathay Pacific Cargo had been operating more animal shipments and introducing measures to further increase welfare for its live cargo. Getting CEIV Live Animals certification was a natural extension of this work.
Nadeem Khan, Cargo Services Development Manager, and Fiona Choy, Assistant Manager Cargo Services Development were instrumental in completing the audit for the accreditation, and were also in attendance at the event.
Kevin Fung, Head of Cargo Global Operations, said at the presentation: ‘It’s a great achievement for Cathay Pacific Cargo to get the accreditation. By going through the assessments, we knew what needs to be enhanced and improved in the handling and transportation of live animals to raise our standards. I would like to thank IATA for the guidance and pay thanks for the input of Nadeem and Fiona.’
The CEIV Live Animals certification joins Cathay Pacific Cargo’s previous CEIV Pharma accreditations. IATA’s Yvonne Ho also presented Cathay Pacific Cargo with the recertification of its CEIV Pharma accreditation.