Lately we have been hearing about the IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV).
To date, a few carriers have embraced CEIV Pharma and two gateways—BRU and MIA—have announced certification as well.
But what is CEIV Pharma?
On the CEIV Pharma webpage, a lead statement says:
“IATA has been encouraged by its member airlines and European regulators to support air carriers in complying with ACC3 EU Security Validation process.
“To respond to this demand, IATA Training and Development Institute created a Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) to train, guide and support industry stakeholders.”
No doubt, when it comes to getting the quality standard handling and movement procedural activities down to a science, everybody is all for that idea—it’s especially appealing in the pharma business.
The Rest of the Story
But the question, as always, is: what is the rest of the story?
“CEIV is IATA positioning itself to have an independent validator task,” a source told FT.
“When you think about it, IATA is an airline trade association, so some might question the independence of CEIV,” the source added.
Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t?
We were thinking back to an article that appeared exclusively in FT, which made the point that unless they have the standard operating procedure, airlines do not always place a Dangerous Goods awareness reminder into their online booking systems and their pax acceptance procedures.
We gently wondered in our article how that could be the case, especially since airlines must undergo IOSA audits biannually, and handlers are subjected to ISAGO as well.
“Pay your money and take the training and you can be certified for anything,” a source said.
“Whether the company practices the standard is the only proof here, as one may not question or check whether that standard is working or implemented.”
Beam Me Up Certified
Recently, FlyingTypers spoke with a European CAA inspector (who requested anonymity) about the various IATA IOSA and ISAGO certification programs and what they mean to authorities. He laughed, saying:
“Often we show up somewhere and when we point to non-compliance, invariably someone will wave their various audits, white as snow, in our face.
“Our reaction is usually, 'Well, in that situation today, based on our discovery here, that means zero, silch,'” the source said.
The preceding comment might make some wonder if this rush to certification carries scant more importance than leveraging for profit, reflecting instead the power and reach of various industry trade organizations' brands.
Jens
