GENEVA — The International Air Transport Association has launched a standardized global certification program to improve the safety of animals traveling by air.
It’s called the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators for Live Animals Logistics, or CEIV Live Animals.
“Last year millions of animals travelled safely and securely by air. Animal owners and shippers rely heavily on airlines to carry their precious cargo,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of airport, passenger, cargo and security. “As an industry, we have a duty of care to ensure that standards and best practices are in place around the world to protect the welfare of these animals. For those shipping live animals the CEIV Live Animals program will provide a reliable quality benchmark.”
The program “increases the level of competency, operations, quality management and professionalism in the handling and transportation of live animals in the air freight industry while reinforcing training and compliance across the supply chain,” according to a press release.
Independent validators conduct training and onsite audits to ensure the animals’ safety and welfare when traveling by air.
The City of London’s Heathrow Animal Reception Centre and Air Canada Cargo played a key role in helping to pilot the program.
United Airlines recently announced that it was halting new reservations for PetSafe, its program for pets that travel in the cargo compartment. Its decision came “after three dogs were loaded onto wrong planes … and a fourth died in an overhead bin,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
United announced that it was “conducting a thorough and systematic review of our program for pets that travel in the cargo compartment to make improvements that will ensure the best possible experience for our customers and their pets.” It said it expected to complete the review by May 1.