Airlines and postal services aim for faster delivery

Rain, shine or snow, the mail must get through and a new agreement between airlines and postal services is aimed at ensuring that’s exactly what happens. A memorandum of understanding between the International Air Transport Association and The International Postal Corporation comes at a time e-commerce is seeing an explosion in the number of packages being sent around the world. The agreement is designed to help the postal services and airlines cope with the expansion and provide faster and more reliable mail deliveries that are also safe, secure and accessible. READ: Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines see virus impact through May. “International e-commerce is growing at around 20 percent per year, leading to rapidly changing market conditions for airlines and posts,’’ IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac said. “Ensuring customers get their packages on time while safety and security in postal air transport is maintained is the main priority for posts and air transport operators alike. “Cooperation across the supply chain is a must and our MoU with IPC is an important step toward strengthening our activity in this area.” IATA and the IPC will work together on seven areas, including improving the security, handover, carriage, delivery and settlement of airmail between postal operators and air carriers. They will also seek to develop and maintain industry standards, align existing services as well as find technology-based standards and solutions for tracking airmail packages and letters. “Both of our sectors can win from a reinforced cooperation in terms of competitiveness and quality of service,’’ IPC chief executive Holger Winklbauer. “Ultimately, this agreement will benefit consumers through more reliable and faster delivery of cross-border mail and packets transported by air.”