Analysis: smoother international co-operation improves air cargo safety

摘要

While airport passenger security screening procedures have been significantly bolstered post-9/11, techniques to increase the effectiveness of air cargo screening were kept on the back burner until October 2010. Then, after improvised explosive devices were discovered in US-bound cargo consignments, aviation authorities around the world began developing individual policies and programmes to put air cargo security on a par with passenger security. Initial discussions in the US proposed a 100% point-of-origin air cargo screening regime for all inbound flights, to come into effect by December 2012. However, this and similar policies are metamorphosing into more feasible, interoperable, risk-based programmes.