Cargo iQ (CiQ), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) interest group responsible for developing global air cargo quality standards and monitoring performance, has partnered with the European Shippers’ Council (ESC) to develop a new framework for measuring door-to-door air cargo service quality.
The initiative is designed to bring shippers more directly into the development of industry performance standards, helping align expectations and establish common principles for assessing service delivery across the air freight supply chain.
Marie Seco-Köppen, Executive Director of Cargo iQ, said closer involvement from shippers was long overdue. She stressed that aligning expectations and agreeing on shared principles would help ensure the organisation’s performance standards remain relevant and valuable to a wider range of stakeholders.
The framework’s outline was agreed last week, following more than a year of collaboration between Cargo iQ and the European Shippers’ Council.
Both organisations intend to continue working together to ensure existing standards better reflect the requirements of different commodity categories. Their efforts will also incorporate initiatives such as ONE Record and care protocols, with the aim of improving the overall shipper experience.
Godfried Smit, Secretary General of the European Shippers’ Council, described the workshop as an important milestone in strengthening cooperation across the air cargo sector. The discussions brought together airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers and shippers to work towards a more coordinated approach to service quality.
Smit also highlighted the importance of delivering goods efficiently and cost-effectively in an air freight market characterised by rapid change. He identified supply chain visibility as a critical factor in achieving this objective, while pointing to Cargo iQ’s role in establishing common benchmarks for transparency, operational efficiency and seamless collaboration.
Building on the workshop’s outcomes, Smit called for the shared commitment among industry participants to develop into lasting cooperation. Such a model, he said, could generate sustainable value and competitive advantages for stakeholders throughout the air cargo ecosystem.
The announcement follows Smit’s participation a week earlier in the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean Corridor Conference. During the event, he emphasised the growing importance of reliability, flexibility and cross-border cooperation in European logistics, particularly the need for adaptable transport options.
The next phase will see Cargo iQ circulate the proposed framework among its members and the wider industry for review over the coming months. The longer-term objective is to incorporate the framework into Cargo iQ’s Master Operating Plan, supporting the delivery of high-quality air cargo services through more clearly aligned performance expectations and standards.
