Facilitation

Facilitation includes reducing unnecessary regulation and improving inspection procedures to expedite the movement of people and goods over international boundaries.

Key Facilitation issues being addressed by IATA:

• Harmonisation - IATA is raising numerous initiatives with national governments urging them to implement globally recognised standards. States get better results when they consult and agree on the definition and implementation of time frames for measures as varied as biometric identification, advanced passenger information (API) and data privacy.
  
  
• Advance Passenger Information (API) - Many countries now require airlines to send information on passengers in advance of their arrival at their destination. This information usually consists of data found in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of ICAO Document 9303 compliant travel documents (full name, date or birth, gender, passport number, country of citizenship, country of passport issuance).  However, some countries require information that cannot be machine-read.  IATA's aim is to ensure that all countries requiring API type data harmonise their requirements with the global standards already in place.
  
  
• Passenger Name Records (PNR) - Access to PNR is required by some countries. But most legislations state that personal data, unless explicitly authorised by the data subject, should only be used for the purposes it was given, should not be kept for an excessive amount of time and must only be seen by those that have a need to see it. Governments must reach an agreement with each other in order to protect citizens' rights, whilst maintaining border integrity and facilitating passenger flow. IATA is keen to see a global solution to this growing issue of access to PNR.
  
  
• US-VISIT - The US has recently implemented the US-VISIT program, requiring travellers from countries that need a visa to enter the US to provide a photograph and fingerprint on entry to the US. This is the first step in implementing an integrated, automated entry and exit system recording the arrival and departure of all foreign visitors to the US.  While the current program only applies for entry, a US-VISIT Exit program is currently being trialled at 15 airports, before being rolled out to the 50 busiest air and sea ports in the USA.
  
  
• Machine Readable Passports - From October 2006, all travellers from the 27 Visa Waiver Program countries must have a Machine Readable Passport (MRP) in order to enter the US without a visa. Children who are on their parent's passport must have either a visa or be issued with a passport of their own. 
  
  
• Cargo Facilitation - IATA, working closely with various stakeholder groups (World Customs Organization, the European Commission, US Customs and Border Protection), is actively involved in the development of standards associated with advance electronic submission of cargo manifests and programs that secure the supply chain from manufacture to delivery. Harmonization of system approaches and data requirements will improve the industry's ability to comply with national requirements at lower cost and operational impact.
  
  
• Advance Cargo Information (ACI) - IATA works with various government agencies to ensure that programs designed to promote the exchange of data concerning cargo consignments carried on international flights is harmonised to the greatest extent possible.
  
  
• Supply Chain Security - Many of the world's customs administrations are seeking to identify best practices that can ensure control of the movement of goods from manufacture to final destination. IATA, in cooperation with member airlines and other interested stakeholders, develops processes that can leverage advance knowledge of the participants in the transport chain into a smooth, predictable and expedited movement of goods to the marketplace.