Coronavirus: IATA postpones world air cargo symposium to 2021

March 4, 2020: International Air Transport Association (IATA) postponed the 14th World Air Cargo Symposium (WCS) scheduled to be held in Istanbul, Turkey from March 10-12, 2020 into next year due to the threat posed by coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

“Over the past few days, we have been receiving enquiries about the status of the upcoming 14th WCS in Istanbul due to the coronavirus. Although there have been no reported cases in Turkey, we have taken the decision to postpone the event,” says the IATA announcement.

“Since the first outbreak of COVID-19 in mainland China, we have been monitoring the situation in Istanbul closely, working daily with local and international authorities. We have been following the WHO’s guidelines. However, there has been an increase in the number of participant cancellations over the past few days for reasons including company travel bans and senior delegates needing to stay close to the base during the crisis, therefore, we feel that it would be best to postpone the event,” the announcement added.