The International Air Cargo Association is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Commission to consult the air cargo industry about new security procedures in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

Tiaca is seeking uniform rules in order to minimize disruption to the industry and the flow of goods, said Larry Coyne, the group's president.

"The devastating events in the United States will have a profound effect on the aviation industry in both an economic and operational sense," he said . "Safety and security have always been the biggest priority for everyone in our industry. Now we must re-assess security issues throughout the air cargo handling and transportation process."

Coyne, who is also president of Coyne Airways, a British-based cargo carrier, said he has been concentrating his efforts in Europe, where the application of war-risk insurance requirements by different governments has created havoc. Regulators in Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, have applied the new rules immediately, temporarily grounding some flights. Coyne said the grounded flights were mostly operated by Asian carriers, since most European governments, like the U.S., have agreed to provide supplemental coverage to offset a decision by insurance carriers that they would apply strict limits on war-risk coverage.

European countries conduct aviation relations on a bilateral basis rather than delegating that authority to the European Commission, the executive agency for the 15-member European Union. "We wish we had only one authority" to deal with, he said.

Coyne added that cargo carriers have had to cancel flights carrying relief supplies into countries around Afghanistan. "Western countries look stupid because they have different insurance requirements," he said, adding that new security measures introduced as a result of the attacks are making it more difficult to ship goods and to fly aircraft. Requirements that goods be placed in decompression chambers or be X-rayed are causing freight back-ups.

The new regulations are causing further hardship for the industry, which was already feeling the effects of a worldwide downturn in trade even before last month's events.

Coyne said Tiaca is eager to ensure that any new security measures are effective, workable, affordable and create the minimum disruption to the flow of air cargo, which essentially relies on speed.

"Any measures that do not meet these criteria are likely to have a further adverse effect on the recovery of the world economies, which increasingly rely on air transport," he said. "By working with the cargo industry, the regulators can ensure security measures are effective without causing additional damage and expense for the operators forced to meet this new criteria."

Tiaca, based in Miami, has 350 corporate members, with annual sales of $250 billion, Coyne said.

Two task forces appointed by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta delivered their recommendations for improved airport and aircraft security on Monday. A DOT spokesman said there may be an announcement by midweek on those recommendations. Mineta has consulted with the heads of major all-cargo airlines such as FedEx and United Parcel Service, as well as officials from the Air Transport Association.