 ULD MANAGEMENT
ULD DEFINITION:
An Unit Load Device is a pallet or container used to load freight for its transportation. With the increasing number of wide-bodied aircraft now in operation, ULD Management is a key element of high efficiency in air transport. Making sure the right ULD is available in the right place at the right time in the right condition is critical for airline operations and revenue management.
Due to the highly specialized nature of ULD Management, IATA has in existence a ULD Panel(ULDP) which develops and maintains standards and procedures concerning the specifications, handling , restraint and maintenance of ULD’s and promotes the worldwide recognition and adoption of these standards.
IATA ULD REGULATIONS:
The new ULD Regulations (ULDR) covers both technical and operational standards and regulatory requirements as well as the carrier’s requirements applicable to overall ULD operations:
-Minimum standard specifications for designning and manufacturing ULD’s that conform to IATA , ISAO, SAE and other national and international standards.
-Essential and detailed guidelines for all aspects of ULD operations.
-Training requirements and standards.
-Supporting material for airlines creating operations manuals containing ULD related content for use by their own or outside staff.
ULD REGULATORY FORUM:
The 2nd IATA ULD Regulatory Forum was held on 21-22 October 2014 at the IATA Montreal Headquarters. More than 60 delegates attended the event, including regulators, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, cargo loading system producers, ULD Manufacturers, ground service providers and freight forwarders, as well as ULD leasing/pooling service suppliers.
ULD = AIRCRAFT PART:
One of the leading outcomes of the Montreal ULD Regulatory Forum was the definition of ULD’s as an aircraft part, subject to CAAS airworthiness requirements.
ULD’S & AIRCRAFT SAFETY:
One of the presentations at this forum highlighted the fact that freighters with 6% of all flights have 56% of all accidents. The probability of freighter related accidents is 20 times that of passenger aircraft, and 1/3rd of all cargo related accidents relate to improper ULD’s. To improve safety on a global basis, regulatory requirements and global standards need to be harmonized.
IATA GROUND HANDLING CONSULTING SERVICES
Ground handling is fundamental to safe and reliable airline operations. Even though
third-party handling has become the norm in recent years, ground handling still requires
close attention by airline management. IATA Consulting has the tools and expertise to
help you ensure your ramp operations are as efficient as possible.
What are the issues?
must orchestrate a lot of activity within a confined area, around
a very expensive airplane, in a short period of time. Precision
delivery and safety rely on how well everyone works together.
In a world of diminishing profit margins, increasing fuel prices
and intense competition with its associated effect on revenue
growth, it certainly makes sense to look at every opportunity
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IATA Consulting’s approach addresses two fundamental
issues:
• How to turn around aircraft safely in the shortest
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• How to use ground handling resources (human and
equipment) more efficiently and effectively
What are our services?
We have extensive experience promoting smooth and safe ground operations. Together, we will:
• Review work processes and recommend changes as per best practices;
• Determine models required to facilitate manpower / equipment resources allocation;
• Determine optimum resources required as per the changing business scenario;
• Reduce baggage mishandling and turnaround time
Why choose IATA Consulting?
| What airports need |
|
What IATA Consulting offers |
| In-depth knowledge of
international standards,
recommended practices
and emerging trends |
|
Access to the experts on the Ground Handling Council (GHC) and numerous
other IATA and ICAO task forces
IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO)
IATA Airport Handling Manual (AHM) and IATA Ground Operations Manual
(IGOM), the industry standards you trust every day |
| Global reach with
regional and local insight |
|
Presence in 62 countries with 66 offices around the globe |
| Intimate knowledge of
airlines and their strategies |
|
Direct access to more than 240 airlines representing 84% of total air traffic |
| Leading-edge data |
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Accurate and proprietary IATA databases (e.g., CargoIS and AirportIS) |
| Knowledge in all fields
of aviation |
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Multilingual, multicultural and multidisciplinary teams of experts in all areas
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| Access to all industry
stakeholders |
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Our dedicated country managers have extensive local networks of airport,
airline, government and civil aviation authority contacts |
Who recommends IATA Consulting?
We recently prepared ground handling resource productivity reviews in the following countries.
References available upon request.
• Airline in Ecuador – Resource productivity enhancement and reorganization
• Airline in Iran – Improvement of ground handling processes
• Airline in Kuwait – Improvement of ground handling processes and reorganization
• Airline in Oman – Resource productivity enhancement and reorganization
• Airline and ground handlers in Turkey – Resource productivity enhancement and reorganization
• Airport in Russia – Improvement of ground handling processes and reorganization
ULD- The Often Under Recognized yet Essential Component of Air Cargo
Air cargo containers and pallets, most commonly known as a ULD, have been around since the first flight of the 747 in 1970. Over the intervening 45 years some aspects of ULD have changed very little while others have changed out of
recognition.
US$1 billion replacement value: Today we have far more ULD’s; somewhere in the order of 800,000 with a replacement value in excess of US$1 billion.
Multiple entities handle ULD’s: We see a far wider range of people and organizations working with ULD’s, no longer just airlines, but now a wide range of independent ground handlers, cargo terminals and freight forwarders.
ULD’S travel all over the world: We see ULD’s being transported hundreds and even thousands of miles from airports to off-line stations
ULD’s are becoming lighter: And we see ULD becoming lighter and more volumetrically efficient by the year as airlines strive to reduce weight and increase capacity.
ULD’s are aircraft parts and not material handling equipment: But against this background of many changes one basic fundamental remains exactly the same as it did 45 years ago which is that when a ULD is placed inside an aircraft ready for flight it has to meet the minimum performance standards required by the aircraft weight and balance manual and in this regard the ULD always has and always will be a piece of aircraft equipment and not, as is commonly
misunderstood throughout wide sectors of the industry, an item of material handling equipment.
ULD AIRWORTHINESS: Today’s modern high-capacity aircraft carry many tons of containerized/palletized baggage and cargo in both the lower decks of
passenger aircraft and in the main and lower decks of freighter aircraft. The construction of these aircraft is such that they must rely on the strength and containment capability of the ULDs to keep their contents in place through even the most extreme flight conditions, a failure to meet this requirement places the aircraft, its crew and its passengers at extreme risk. This means that each and every time any ULD is being transported it must always have been inspected to ensure it remains in an airworthy condition, and must also at the same time be
loaded in accordance with established instructions to ensure that the ULD can perform its task and not become a hazard to the aircraft and its systems.
STANDARDIZING ULD OPERATIONS GLOBALLY: ULD operations are a perfect example of how the adoption of standardized practices and procedures will
support safe operations, and to this end IATA publishes the IATA ULD Regulations to provide a single source of reference for all matters concerning ULD to the entire industry.
ULD CARE, (http://www.uldcare.com ) a not-for-profit special interest group
that represents the interests of airlines, ULD owners, ULD manufacturers, ULD service providers uses its resources to encourage the widespread adoption of the practices as laid out in the IATA ULD regulations throughout all sectors of the airline and air cargo industry.
Nobody would wish the air cargo industry to go back to pre-ULD days with all the delights that came with bulk loading, and fortunately ULD are here to stay but conversely the continuing failure by the industry to understand the safety critical function that ULD perform every time a wide-bodied aircraft takes to the air places the entire industry at risk of increased regulatory involvement in this mission-critical day-to-day activity.
IATA ULDR PRODUCTS:
To know more about these products, click here
The online store pages for individual ULDR products are:
Web Download: https://store.iata.org/IEC_ProductDetails?id=9102-05
Book: https://store.iata.org/IEC_ProductDetails?id=9103-05
CD ROM: https://store.iata.org/IEC_ProductDetails?id=9055-05
ULD MANUFACTURERS - COOL CONTAINER TECHNOLOGY
ULD MANAGEMENT
ULD MANAGEMENT OUTSOURCING
The exploding growth of air cargo worldwide has resulted in the exponential increase in the numbers of ULD’s as well as the need for more specialized containers to cater to temperature sensitive cargoes like pharma and life sciences. All of this has presented airlines with significant challenges in containing ULD costs while catering to an increasingly complex marketplace.
The advent of ULD management outsourcing by global players like Unilode and JETTAINER offers ULD’s at lower costs than airlines can achieve by themselves. By relieving airlines of onerous ULD ownership requirements, outsourced ULD management reduces cash needed upfront and provides predictable monthly cost. In fact, it transforms fixed costs into variable costs giving the operators the ability to react to the highly volatile global “boom and bust” nature of the air cargo business. Some of the highlights of using the ULD pooling services of services like Unilode or JETTAINER include:
• Reduction of Capital and Operating costs tied up in ULD Operations, and the release of funds tied up in owning ULD’s.
• Elimination of uncertainty in managing ongoing maintenance of ULD fleets.
• Assistance in the administration efforts in tracking missing assets and costs of replacements.
• Gradual conversion to lighter and more environmentally ULD’s, resulting in lower fuel burn.
ULD MANAGEMENT & OUTSOURCING SERVICES
ULD CONFERENCES
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