Swiss WorldCargo, the airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines, is pleased to announce that it is a founding member of IG (Interest Group) Air Cargo Switzerland, the first-ever association dedicated to representing the interests and concerns of the Swiss air cargo community.

The prime aim of IG Air Cargo Switzerland is to provide a platform for discussing and harmonising the interests of cargo airlines, forwarders, airports, integrators, trucking organisations, handling agents, general sales agents, shippers and other members of the airfreight community. This in turn should give the air cargo industry a strong and distinctive voice in helping to shape the development of the infrastructure and the regulatory environment in Switzerland with the relevant authorities, including airports and customs operators.

“Our objective is to improve the image and strengthen the position of the airfreight industry in Switzerland and actively influence future developments,” says Peter Somaglia, Managing Director of Zurich-based ground handling company Cargologic, who was appointed President of IG Air Cargo Switzerland at the association’s first Airfreight Forum, which was held at Zurich Airport last month.

“The future growth of airfreight in Switzerland is highly dependent on the enlargement and modernisation of ground infrastructure, which, unfortunately, have been neglected more than once in the past,” Somaglia continues. “To ensure such preparedness, IG Air Cargo Switzerland urges the airports and authorities concerned to allocate sufficient space and resources to modernising existing facilities and building additional warehouses to cater for the further growth expected.”

Air cargo plays a vital role in the Swiss economy. It generates more than
25 000 jobs; and, while less than three per cent of all goods leaving Switzerland are transported by air, these shipments account for more than 35 per cent of the total value of all exported goods.
IG Air Cargo Switzerland has already pinpointed further crucial industry issues, too. These include harmonising security processes, further developing e-freight and improving the information flow within the airfreight industry.

“We have made great progress over the past two years in identifying the common needs of all the stakeholders in the Swiss air cargo industry and presenting our relevance and requirements to the government in Bern,” says Oliver Evans, Chief Cargo Officer of Swiss International Air Lines. “But given the urgency and the complexity of the issues we are facing in a country that is highly dependent upon airfreight, the lack of an adequate platform for the regular discussion, shaping and monitoring of a national air cargo agenda has been a genuine concern.”

“I see a clear parallel between the foundation of IG Air Cargo in Switzerland and the recent establishment of the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG), which also brings together the interests of shippers, forwarders, airlines and other stakeholders, this time on a global scale,” Evans continues. “

In Swiss WorldCargo’s active involvement in both, we see an exciting opportunity to positively influence the development of the infrastructure, processes and regulation that are needed, at both the national and the international level”.
Membership of IG Air Cargo Switzerland is open to any Swiss-based company, person or association involved in the air cargo business.

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