FIATA awaits U.S. Customs’ advanced air freight rules

FIATA awaits U.S. Customs’ advanced air freight rules    The International Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Association, better known as FIATA, discussed the issue of the forthcoming    advance cargo information rules of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border protection as one of the main items of its congress held in Bali on Sept. 29-Oct. 3.
   About 200 participants of FIATA’s airfreight institute discussed the U.S. advance cargo information rules as “an item of much discussion,” the federation of forwarders reported.
   “As the law cannot be introduced since the final regulations have not yet been sent to or approved by the Congress, it is not foreseen that the regulations will be introduced in the last quarter of 2003, as originally intended,” FIATA said.
   FIATA reported that the proposed introduction of the so-called “low density cargo resolution” by the International Air Transport Association has been deferred indefinitely, as it has still not received the necessary approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
   “The U.S. Department of Justice warned the FAA that the unilateral decision by (the)    International Air Transport Association is considered as anti-competitive and therefore illegal,”
FIATA said. “It is doubtful whether the resolution will enter into force in the immediate future as many other countries wait for a decision by the U.S. government.”
   However, some airlines have made suggestions that they may consider introduction of the low density cargo resolution on a bilateral basis.
   The resolution has been criticized by organizations representing air cargo shippers.
   FIATA told its members that the competition directorate of the European Commission will no longer accept requests for individual anti-trust exemptions. Therefore, from May 1, 2004 the European freight forwarders and IATA will have to operate the European cargo agents program “without such an exemption from the European Union,” FIATA said.
   In a separate development, Jouko Lempiainen, director of compliance and facilitation at the World Customs Organization presented the view of WCO on supply chain security at the FIATA congress.