FIATA, IATA push for MC99 ratification

   The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations has linked up with the International Air Transport Association to press governments to ratify Montreal Convention 1999, which would pave the way for wider implementation of e-freight.
   According to the organizations, 88 states have still not ratified MC99, and these governments were urged to explore passing the agreement during the latest International Civil Aviation Organization assembly in September.
   To prod these states a bit more, the organizations have released a position paper, pushing governments to adopt the accord during the World Trade Organization’s meeting in Bali, which runs through Dec. 6. In a release about the position paper, the two organizations said “the ratification of MC99 would be an important step in helping improve the speed, security and efficiency” of air freight.
   “This joint position paper shows that FIATA and IATA are united in our desire to push forward with the e-freight agenda,” Des Vertannes, IATA’s cargo head, said in a statement; he noted that air cargo accounts for $6.4 trillion in trade around the world.
   “The successful implementation of electronic data messaging across all trade lanes would dramatically increase the safety, security, efficiency and speed of air cargo shipments,” Vertannes continued. “With the global round of trade talks going through a challenging phase, governments across the world are looking for ‘quick wins’ to enhance world trade, and ratification of MC99 offers them that opportunity.”