TIACA calls for resolution of Europe’s migrant crisis

Refugees fleeing their home countries looking for a better life in Europe are impacting the airfreight industry said Doug Brittin, secretary general of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). Last week, the organization called on world leaders at the United Nations to work together to find a fix to the problem, which has already seen more than half a million people cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, with almost 3,000 either losing their lives or being reported missing as a result of the journey.

“We must act together now to stop this human tragedy, and TIACA, which has in-depth expertise on global security issues, is prepared to offer its support in any way it can,” Brittin said.

The crisis has resulted in long wait times at border crossings, including the Channel Tunnel between Calais, France, and Dover in the U.K. It is also causing empty positioning and reduced volumes for trucks, which has a financial impact on European air cargo logistics. According to IATA, roughly 30 percent of all air cargo comes from or goes to Europe, so the migrant situation has direct ramifications on a major part of global air cargo volumes.

Some air carriers, however, are hardly suffering. Lloyd’s Loading List reported that World Executive Airway (WEA), based at London Ashford Airport, has seen business increase – more than likely due to the disruptions to the Channel ferry and Channel Tunnel freight services. WEA is a division of Lyddair and is equipped to carry dangerous goods. A program known as “Operation Stack,” enacted this past summer, which temporarily diverted backlogged cargo trucks along U.K. highways near the Chunnel, also helped WEA see a sharp rise in demand for charter services.

Operation Stack was supposed to be a traffic-management tool, but the result was up to 5,000 trucks parked on the M20 in Kent during disruption to the Eurotunnel. The M20 was closed for 24 out of 40 days due to strikes by French ferry workers and migrants trying to get into the U.K. via the Eurotunnel.