LAN Cargo gets ISO 14001:2004 certification

Jan 06, 2016: LAN Cargo became the first cargo airline operating at Miami International Airport to obtain ISO 14001:2004 certification for its Environmental Management System following a full external audit. The system consists of a series of processes and practices that allow to identify, control, manage and reduce the environmental impact of all its ground operations, including the recently-inaugurated maintenance hangar.

“We want to be one of the best airline groups in the world and caring for the environment is essential to achieve that. This certification provides global recognition and LAN Cargo currently operates under its Environmental Management System. Compliance with these standards will allow us to grow and develop our ground operation more efficiently, improve resource management and allocation, and reduce our operation’s environmental impact and carbon footprint,”said Cristián Ureta, chief executive officer, LAN Cargo.

The certification is the result of three years of work and validates LAN Cargo’s management and policies.

Miami International Airport is home to LAN Cargo’s headquarters and one of its cargo business most important hubs. The company’s warehouse is the second largest in MIA. The airport is also the most important international cargo airport in the United States and the ninth at a global scale. From Miami, LAN Cargo connects to different destinations in the world and it serves as a strategic point for operations to and from Latin America.

Among environmental certifications available for the air cargo industry, are IATA’s Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) - a voluntary system designed specifically by and for the air industry to improve the environmental management of air operations and the ISO 14001:2004 standards, which aim to improve management of ground operations and are applicable to all types of companies.

“The Environmental Management System implemented by LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates has been designed to cover all of the group’s operations, both in the air and on the ground. The companies have been working and investing on these environmental initiatives for several years and, besides the ISO 14001:2004 certification, LAN international flights operated in Chile have earned the IEnvA Stage 2 certification. This is the highest level a company can attain within this system and we were the first airline in the Americas to obtain it and the third in the world. It is the result of the work of many years and it is starting to bear fruit ,” said Enrique Guzmán, Environmental senior manager, LAN.

LAN Cargo’s Environmental Management System has been designed to ensure the use of common standards in all of the company’s ground operations. Its goal is to identify and control environmental impact and ensure compliance with current regulations and the company’s security, quality and environmental policies.

The benefits include savings on costs and materials thanks to recycling, clear indicators to measure the development and progress of the different environmental protocols and programs, and the protection of natural resources.