IATA Boosts AI for Air Cargo Operations

New initiatives aim to improve efficiency, safety, and innovation across the global air cargo industry.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 1:09am

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching three new initiatives to advance the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in air cargo operations. These include an AI-powered mobile and web app to quickly find information in IATA cargo and safety publications, an Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub to facilitate collaboration on AI integration, and efforts to use AI to improve interline air cargo efficiency.

Why it matters

As the air cargo industry continues its digital transformation, the adoption of AI has the potential to drive significant improvements in operational efficiency, safety, and innovation. IATA's new initiatives aim to establish standards and best practices to ensure the orderly and effective integration of AI across the global air cargo value chain.

The details

The first initiative is the launch of an AI Subject Matter Expert (AI SME) app that helps operational teams quickly find information in IATA cargo and safety publications by asking questions in plain language. This will support faster decision-making, strengthen compliance, and improve efficiency. The second initiative is the Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub, which will bring together airlines, ground handlers, freight forwarders, technology providers, and regulators to collaborate on AI governance, compliance, and deployment. The third initiative explores using AI to enable real-time collaboration between airlines on bookings, disruptions, and cancellations, improving interline air cargo efficiency.

  • The AI SME app will initially be available for the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) and the IATA Cargo Handling Manual (ICHM), with plans to expand to other IATA publications.
  • The Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub is launching to facilitate industry collaboration on AI integration.

The players

International Air Transport Association (IATA)

The trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 83% of total air traffic.

Brendan Sullivan

IATA's Global Head of Cargo, overseeing the organization's cargo initiatives.

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What they’re saying

“The scope for AI to accelerate air cargo's digital transformation is enormous. Together, these initiatives will help to make the most of AI's potential with an industry adoption that is consistent, interoperable, and aligned with global aviation standards. Importantly, we will learn from these initiatives to identify additional areas where standards, technological innovation, and collaborative development can enable safer, smarter, and more efficient operations.”

— Brendan Sullivan, Global Head of Cargo, IATA

What’s next

IATA plans to roll out the AI SME app progressively across its suite of reference publications, and the Air Cargo AI Excellence Hub will continue to facilitate industry collaboration on AI integration.

The takeaway

IATA's new AI initiatives demonstrate the air cargo industry's commitment to leveraging emerging technologies to drive operational improvements in efficiency, safety, and innovation. By establishing standards and fostering collaboration, these efforts aim to ensure the orderly and effective integration of AI across the global air cargo value chain.