Istanbul, which spans two continents, was selected for its geographic location in a vital area of the world and for its growing importance as an air cargo hub, which makes it of special importance to TIACA members. The meeting is hosted by MGN Airlines.
TIACA's Annual General Meeting will be held 2:00 -5:00 pm, Sunday, April 10 and will include a review of the past year's activities and a discussion of the organization's plans, operations and budget for the coming year Trustee members will vote for a new chairman to serve the 2005 ' 2006 term and for new members of the Board of Directors. The meeting will be followed by a Welcome Reception for all delegates.
The Executive Conference will open at 8:15 am, Monday, April 11 with the introduction of Binali Yildirim, the Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Turkey, who will welcome the delegates.
The first session of the Conference will begin with a panel discussion titled "Beyond the Blue Horizon ' a review of air cargo traffic worldwide, projections of the industry's growth, and forecasts of the most active air cargo markets."
Speakers for the panel will be Jim Edgar, Regional Director, Cargo Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Laurent Rouaud, Vice President Market Forecasts & Research, Airbus SAS; and Brian Clancy, Principal, MergeGlobal, air cargo consultants. Moderator for the panel will be Christopher P. Damianos, Senior Vice President and Manager Cargo Programs, GE Commercial Finance Aviation Services.
The second panel entitled "Location, Location, Location," will discuss the site selection process for manufacturing and distribution facilities to locate near air cargo services for better supply chain integration. Mark Arend, Editor of Site Selection magazine, will chair the panel. Speakers will include Frank Wade, Senior VP, International Development, AMB Property Corporation; Charles H. W. Edwards, Executive Vice President and C.E.O., Aerospace Composite Structures; and Ian Worboys, Director General France and Belgium, Gazeley Properties Limited.
Panelists will present examples of efforts to coordinate the expansion of commercial and industrial developments with air transport providers.
Information Technology (IT) will be the subject of the panel which will convene at 8:30 am, Tuesday, April 12. Bill Boesch, President, Cargo Logistic Solutions, will moderate the panel. Panelists include Mark McGlade, Regional Vice President, Europe, Middle East, and Asia for Savi Technology; Michael D. Navin, Global Program Director Air and Logistics, BT; and Wolfgang Schmitz, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Development, Lufthansa Cargo and Vice President of Cargo 2000. Panelists will present their views on the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) microchip, IT systems of the future, security measures to protect IT systems, and how to defend against a crippling virus.
The last panel discussion of the Executive Conference is titled "International New Directions", and will be an overview of the status of Air Service Agreements worldwide. Panelists will question whether or not these Agreements demonstrate the implementation of liberalized air service, and their effect on economic development. The panel will be led by Edwin "Ned" Laird, a thirty-five year veteran of the air cargo industry, who is President and Founder of the Air Cargo Management Group and Publisher of Cargo Facts Newsletter. Panelists include Daniel Calleja, Director of Air Transportation of the European Commission; Dr. Fang Liu, Director, Department of International Affairs and Cooperation, General Administration of Civil Aviation of China; and Nancy Sparks, Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs, Federal Express Corporation (FedEx).
Following the last panel, three hours wi
