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AmSafe Bridport manufacturers solutions ranging from high end KRM thermal containers to simplistic thermal covers, believing such products to be well suited to the demands of the Middle East.

"We have an arrangement with Avalon Services, which is based in Dubai and supplies our products across the region, so we are more than aware of the temperature related issues present there. I think a number of airlines recognise the requirement to cover themselves for particularly hot seasons but many gamble on just getting by somehow," identifies Kentfield.

"A simple solution would be our thermal covers, which are able to prevent a temperature rise of more than two degrees for over six hours."

Parallel to the careful selection of equipment capable of protecting goods during air transit, is the need to upkeep such equipment through regular maintenance checks.

This is a fact not neglected by Cargolux, which pays particular attention to retaining quality of equipment across all its global operations.

"Cargolux has carefully built up its own ULD equipment, which undergoes regular quality and air worthiness checks according to regulations communicated and agreed by the Ministry of Transport," says Pierre Wesner, vice president, Cargolux.

"If a certain quality is not found during an inspection, then the ULDs are sent for repair at the manufacturer, which is licenced to produce and repair the units by Luftahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)," he elaborates.

Advice and guidelines for carriers on both the upkeep and use of ULDs or any other forms of handling equipment often stems from three sources.

Cargolux, for example, follows preset procedures published by regional authorities, industry organisations and its own internal resources. This includes continuous reference to updated versions of IATA and JAR-OPS manuals.

However, some industry insiders feel greater support could be offered to carrier's wishing to enhance overall standards of handling cargo. Sarosh Jamsheed Nagarvala, current IATA and FIATA board member and former chairman of the Air Freight Institute, is a firm believer that more should be done by governing bodies.

"There is no best handling guide as such in place worldwide. The problem is the amount of time it takes for new rules and regulations to be passed."

This is a view shared by AmSafe Bridport, which has experienced difficulty in urging organisations to establish the latest handling equipment as industry standard.

"It is an incredibly conservative industry. If you take an area such as air cargo pallet nets, currently TSO C90C is the main industry requirement and there is also a proposal in place for a tier D version," says Kentfield.

"Yet there is no removal of approvals previously granted, so for example a carrier owning a pallet designed to tier A is still able to sell it on to another company, even though the industry has identified an improvement in standards presumably for good reasons."

"Many airlines will see a new standard out and adhere to it, but because there is no final redundancy date on prior approvals, there is a limited drive to removing these products from the industry, which ultimately prevents the process of innovation and improvement," he points out.

Greater drive from organisational bodies matched with enhanced collaboration throughout the supply chain, seems the best path forward for the improvement of air cargo handling techniques. Nagarvala has a final suggestion to offer the industry.

"The techniques used in the industry today are generally of good standard, but could be improved much more by greater organisation and collaboration across the supply chain. For example, if airlines were to allow their ULDs to be used throughout the whole supply chain as opposed to just for the transit by air, huge costs could be saved on intermediate handling," he says.

"The number of times goods are handled during a journey is huge and it increases the chances of damage or pilferage. By reducing this, the entire supply chain would benefit."

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