An annual US$ 300 million repair bill is already 300 million reasons to get together as an industry and work on ensuring best possible quality when it comes to ULD management. The worst possible scenario – and a real risk in ULD handling – is a plane crash resulting from poorly secured, badly loaded, or damaged containers. Indeed, these reasons account for many of the accidents that happen in the industry: Accidents that need not occur if staff are vigilant, trained and understand the many negative consequences of not following set procedures.
ULD CARE – the CARE stands for Compliance, Airworthiness, Regulations, Education – was started as an IATA committee back in 1971 for the purpose of tracking interlined ULDs. It became a legal
entity in 2011 and is now a not-for-profit Canadian corporation with membership open to all organizations involved in aircraft unit load device (ULD) activities in any way. Its focus is on
ensuring safety and care when it comes to handling, transporting and returning ULDs, and to this end it launched the SOS ULD Campaign in 2015: www.sos-uld.com
As stated above, failure to adhere to standard operating processes when handling ULDs can have fatal consequences. Yet the message on ULD CARE is not only for those directly involved in air cargo
warehouse and flight operations. ULDs often leave airport premises and are handled by third parties at off-airport facilities and are sometimes also transported to and from shippers’ locations.
How can those not directly involved in air cargo handling get the message that proper container handling, storage and loading are crucial to flight safety, as well as to minimizing expenditure on
repairs.
The ULD CARE conference takes place annually, always in a different country. Last year, delegates met in Guangzhou, China. This year’s conference is being hosted in Montréal, Canada, and will
build on discussions, ideas and achievements from previous years. Only when key industry players come together, can change be implemented across the board.
What is your company doing to ensure that containers remain airworthy and undamaged?
“Getting the message out” is just one of the panel topics at the 32nd ULD CARE Annual Conference taking place in Montréal from 16-19 SEP 19, and CargoForwarder Global will be joining in the
discussions there. Around 70 key players from airlines to container management companies to cargo technology providers, will be coming together for three days under this year’s motto
“Breakthrough to Excellence,” to discuss ULD excellence through technology, environmental issues, and solutions to the industry’s challenges.
CargoForwarder Global is on site and will be reporting on the findings over the next issues.
What do you think are the greatest challenges faced by the industry when it comes to ULD management? And what are the biggest opportunities? Let us know in the comments section!
Brigitte Gledhill
Write a comment
Rayhan ahmed (Monday, 16 September 2019 02:30)
The ulds that I have Seen on
Loading and unloading on widebody
Aircraft are so severely damaged that
The cargo drive system stops operating and uld gets stuck system is
Then turned off and container pushed into the aircraft dangering aircraft
Demage. Netting demaged , dented ,
And out of shape ULD containers is
A common scene on the ramp.
Airlines and ground handlers are just
Preaching but not practicing make sure all uld containers which are not airworthy need to be scrapped or
Repaired .
The only way would be to on the spot
Inspections by the CAA inspectors that prior to loading and after offload that all containers from the aircraft are
Airworthy.. on spot fines should be issued to the airlines who use non
Airworthy containers . The uld and all
Containers in the cargo hold of the aircraft is part of the aircraft and not
Separate .. like the cargo drive systems
PDU's locks etc .
Looking at the engines and tyres of the
A developing country airlines is not
Enough by the CAA inspectors but we need to know what's going on in the
Cargo hold as apart of the on spot
Inspections.
This is only way to rectify this
Problem
Brigitte Gledhill (Monday, 16 September 2019 12:42)
Hi Rayhan, Are you reporting what you see on site to the relevant authorities and companies? We can all do our bit to increase awareness locally.
Rayhan ahmed (Monday, 16 September 2019 13:28)
Hi Brigitte
I have been working on the ramp for
17 years and have seen ulds which
Are not airworthy this is the duty for the make up area to inspect prior hand over to ramp .
The worst are airlines who are from
Developing nations who are doing
This criminal act .
I do not want to name them you must
Have a list of them .
Brigitte Gledhill (Tuesday, 17 September 2019)
What can you and your airport do to improve the situation?
Rayhan ahmed (Tuesday, 17 September 2019 13:08)
Heathrow and my ground handler that
I work for has no authority in the matter.. of uld's it the airline
Authorities like the uk CAA should be
Involved that no African or south Asian
Airline entering uk airspace is not allowed to have demaged and non
Airworthy cargo pallets and ulds which are apart of the aircraft in the cargo
Hold .
This is not a uk issue but a global
Issue .
For example if there are 4 or 5 demaged ulds at Heathrow which are not airworthy then that carrier should notify the ground handler that all passenger baggage is going into
Hold 5 and other uld bins which are airworthy be leased from another
Airline .including cargo .
PIA Pakistan at Heathrow are short of
Ulds at Heathrow so all baggage up to 4 full ulds are placed into hold5. They have a lack of ulds at Heathrow which
Causes number of nil fits on the
Aircraft .
Heathrow and the CAA are aware of uld demage but no inspections are
Done in the make up area spur or
Cargo sheds. Whatever container no matter what condition it's in is used
For loading .