Six road feeder operators from three continents have formed the International Road Feeder Association (IRFA) in Athens, the first industry body dedicated to trucking firms that move roughly one third of European air cargo at origin or destination.

IRFA launched this week at the Aviation Connect event in the Greek capital. The six founding members are Arthur Welter Transport, Wallenborn Transport, Georgi Transport and Jan de Rijk from Europe, Thor Xpress from the United States and Wymap Transport from Australia.

Association chairperson and secretary Henrik Ambak tied the launch to the trajectory and scale of the segment. He said road feeder services are becoming an increasingly important part of airline cargo operations, accounting for roughly one third of European air cargo at either end of the journey.

What does IRFA intend to change?

The association has named five priority areas. They include a recommended standard contract and service-level agreement, slot allocation standards at airport cargo terminals, real-time data standards for cargo in transit, sustainability infrastructure and improved driver access to terminal amenities.

On slot allocation, IRFA identified the practice as the largest operational friction point. Operators lose "many truck and driver hours" to insufficient terminal slots, the group said, with knock-on effects including missed flight connections and broken pickup commitments.

"[The] IRFA wishes, with the ground handlers, to create solid standards for slot allocation for truck loading and off-loading, reducing service failures and increasing service efficiency," the association said.

The framework contract would set baseline terms with commercial specifics negotiated bilaterally between each airline and each RFS provider.

Who leads the new body?

Ambak chairs the leadership board. It includes Michael Rau, chief sales officer at Arthur Welter Transport; Christian Georgi, chief operating officer at Georgi Transport; Ram Menon, chief operating officer at Wallenborn Transport; David Smorenburg, business development manager at Jan de Rijk; Kirk Ejdys, owner of Thor Xpress; and Justin Bailey, chief executive of Wymap Transport.

The not-for-profit is registering in Luxembourg.

What sustainability and labour issues will it tackle?

On sustainability, IRFA will advocate for more electric charging points and hydrogen refuelling stations at airports. The absence of such infrastructure currently blocks lower-emission road operations, the group said.

Driver access to airport facilities also ranks as a priority. Members identified a shortage of qualified drivers as an industry-wide constraint and argued that better amenities at cargo terminals would help attract more recruits and improve retention.

Why is the industry organising now?

Wallenborn chief operating officer Ram Menon traced the genesis of the association to a conversation at a previous Aviation Connect event two years ago.

"We are normally forgotten, but if the trucks don't run, the planes don't fly full. We have never had a voice and the whole purpose of this is to give us a voice so we can go to the industry and bring something to the industry on a structural level and on a tangible level," Menon said.

Ambak added that the association is open to additional members and pointed to its cross-continental roster as evidence of reach. The group will also engage regulators, recommend best practice on security and documentation, and provide training to the sector.

The first concrete deliverables from IRFA — a recommended standard contract and a slot-allocation framework developed jointly with ground handlers — will measure whether the new body can translate its launch mandate into operational change across the road feeder segment.