100% Air Cargo Screening “Nearly Impossible”

National Air Cargo's Christopher Alf points to a time-consuming process when he says meeting the requirements of the 9/11 Commission to screen 100% of air cargo is nearly impossible.

Alf says he and other transportation industry experts are speaking out “to herald a supply chain solution to meet the congressional mandate of screening 100% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by August 2010.” The original mandate, he notes, is a result of passage of the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007. The act requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a system to enable the industry to screen 100% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft commensurate with the level of security used for checked baggage.

With less than a year to go until the deadline, says Alf, the current level of screening is 100%t of cargo on narrow body aircraft and 50% of wide body aircraft. “The current process is so time-consuming that it would be almost impossible to fully implement 100% screening in time to make the deadline. This is due to a lack of sophisticated screening technology being available and affordable across the states,” said Alf.

“Many experts in the industry believe, as I do, that a better solution can be found by certifying trusted supply chain vendors and increasing the number of available screening options,” Alf continues.

Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association agrees, stating “Meeting the 100% screening deadline will be difficult for the aviation supply chain, due to the challenges posed by inadequate technology for cargo screening, lack of funding and lack of awareness in the industry. The Airforwarders Association believes the best way to meet the current mandate as established by Congress is to encourage multiple screening points, which includes Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) and efforts to expand screening options throughout the supply chain”