Kenya is set to become the first country in the world to adopt TIACA's new Cargo Service Quality (CSQ) tool nationwide, in a bid to improve standards at all airports across the country.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is aiming to implement the online tool at all Kenyan cargo hubs by mid-next year, allowing forwarders to rate and review the service quality they receive at airports, which can then in turn use the data to drive up performance.

"When the TIACA system is fully adopted by mid-2019, we will be able to provide visibility and transparency to customers and improve relationships with service providers by creating service quality benchmarks," said Evans Michoma, Commercial Manager - Cargo, KAA.

"The tool will also allow us to make business decisions based on cost considerations with less emphasis on quality of services letting us improve our products and services across the board."

The online tool is the brainchild of TIACA Board members who came together last year in an effort to set new global benchmarking standards for the worldwide airfreight industry to adopt, and in turn enhance quality across the chain.

Airports that took part in the pilot scheme over the summer spanned the globe, including India's Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport and AAICLAS Chennai Cargo Terminal, Indonesia's PT Jasa Angkasa Semestra, Hong Kong's Asia Airfreight Terminal, and Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) Ltd, amongst others.

"TIACA ran a successful pilot of Cargo Service Quality tool over the summer which involved a total of 179 forwarders and 18 airports, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," said Sanjiv Edward, Chief Commercial Officer, Delhi International Airport, and TIACA Board member, who is a main driving force behind TIACA's Cargo Quality Initiative.

"We have now moved towards full global implementation of this project, which will eventually be expanded to incorporate all segments of the air cargo supply chain."

In order to raise cargo service standards, the tool is made up of four parts: Benchmarking, Assessment, Improvement, and Excellence.

The tool allows participating cargo terminals to provide ratings on several factors including process, technology, facilities, regulators, and general airport infrastructure, amongst other variables.

The data that CSQ collects, provides airports and cargo terminals with the business insight to identify areas of improvement and guide investment decisions.

Contributed by TIACA