Industry will fail to meet US air cargo screening deadline
TSA says it could be two years before all US-bound air cargo is scanned
The air freight industry may require a further two years to comply with new US security rules due to come into effect in August, the agency charged with implementing them has admitted.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it may be possible to screen only 65% of cargo on passenger flights into the US by the 3 August 100% screening deadline.
Acting TSA director Gale Rossides told a finance sub-committee of the Homeland Security Department on 4 March that all cargo on board domestic US passenger flights could be screened by the deadline.
But international flights could require another two years, because of problems getting co-operation from the governments of the 20 countries responsible for around 85% of air freight shipments to the US.
Warren Miller, head of the international air cargo unit at the TSA , speaking at a Lufthansa Cargo air freight security conference in Frankfurt last week, said the agency had already advised Congress twice that August was unachievable.
But Rossides’ two-year estimate is the longest delay in complying with the regulation that has yet been made public.
Miller, who heads an international unit set up only 18 months ago, said the TSA had been “myopic” in dealing exclusively at first with domestic US air freight movements.
“We were focused on internal challenges, so most of our energy went there,” he told delegates.
He said the scale of the challenge was immense, with the US importing 1.5m tonnes of air freight a year from 97 countries.
“We must increase security without impeding the free flow of commerce. There is no ‘magic bullet’, no single answer,” Miller said.
A long-term, layered approach based on risk targeting was needed, but he admitted: “We’re not even at pilot stage.”
Miller said the TSA had learned from its domestic US experience that focusing on the supply chain was the best way forward for imports, too. But although harmonising and strengthening global standards was a start, he said: “They’re not as binding as we would like.”
The main tool in Europe is to be EU Framework Regulation 300/2008, which comes into force on 29 April and replaces Aviation Security Regulation 2320/2002. By harmonising security procedures across the EU, this is designed to make it easier for shippers and forwarders in Europe to comply with the tougher US regime.
However, shippers, forwarders and carriers attending the LC security event, said several elements of the new EU rules remained unclear, and they expressed doubts about the sector’s ability to comply with the April deadline.
See Air Freight Focus: The longest day
IFW will offer further analysis in a full feature examining the latest air cargo security developments later this week
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it may be possible to screen only 65% of cargo on passenger flights into the US by the 3 August 100% screening deadline.
Acting TSA director Gale Rossides told a finance sub-committee of the Homeland Security Department on 4 March that all cargo on board domestic US passenger flights could be screened by the deadline.
But international flights could require another two years, because of problems getting co-operation from the governments of the 20 countries responsible for around 85% of air freight shipments to the US.
Warren Miller, head of the international air cargo unit at the TSA , speaking at a Lufthansa Cargo air freight security conference in Frankfurt last week, said the agency had already advised Congress twice that August was unachievable.
But Rossides’ two-year estimate is the longest delay in complying with the regulation that has yet been made public.
Miller, who heads an international unit set up only 18 months ago, said the TSA had been “myopic” in dealing exclusively at first with domestic US air freight movements.
“We were focused on internal challenges, so most of our energy went there,” he told delegates.
He said the scale of the challenge was immense, with the US importing 1.5m tonnes of air freight a year from 97 countries.
“We must increase security without impeding the free flow of commerce. There is no ‘magic bullet’, no single answer,” Miller said.
A long-term, layered approach based on risk targeting was needed, but he admitted: “We’re not even at pilot stage.”
Miller said the TSA had learned from its domestic US experience that focusing on the supply chain was the best way forward for imports, too. But although harmonising and strengthening global standards was a start, he said: “They’re not as binding as we would like.”
The main tool in Europe is to be EU Framework Regulation 300/2008, which comes into force on 29 April and replaces Aviation Security Regulation 2320/2002. By harmonising security procedures across the EU, this is designed to make it easier for shippers and forwarders in Europe to comply with the tougher US regime.
However, shippers, forwarders and carriers attending the LC security event, said several elements of the new EU rules remained unclear, and they expressed doubts about the sector’s ability to comply with the April deadline.
See Air Freight Focus: The longest day
IFW will offer further analysis in a full feature examining the latest air cargo security developments later this week
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