Meets Requirement Of The 9/11 Act
The airline industry has met a key requirement of the 9/11 Act
by screening 100 percent of air cargo on domestic passenger
aircraft, TSA announced Tuesday.
TSA says it has worked closely with the cargo and aviation
industries to fulfill this important Congressional mandate by the
Aug. 1, 2010 deadline. TSA continues to utilize a multi-layered
approach to air cargo security, including procedures for known and
established shippers to ship cargo on domestic passenger aircraft,
deploying explosive detection canine teams, and conducting covert
tests and no-notice inspections of cargo operations.
"TSA has taken another step forward in strengthening the
security of air travel," said TSA Administrator John S. Pistole.
"Screening all cargo on domestic passenger aircraft adds another
layer to our already robust security system and ensures that TSA is
doing everything possible to ensure the safety of air travel."
TSA is also continuing its work to improve cargo security on
passenger flights originating in other countries. TSA requires 100
percent of high risk cargo to undergo security screening and has
increased the requirements for overall cargo screening.
"International air cargo is more secure than it has ever been,"
added Pistole. "TSA continues to work closely with our
international partners and is making substantial progress toward
meeting the 100 percent mark in the next few years."
Cargo Screening Device
To meet the mandate, TSA created the Certified Cargo Screening
Program (CCSP), which allows certified facilities across the
country to screen cargo before it reaches the airport. CCSP
facilities must be approved by TSA and adhere to strict security
standards, including physical access controls, personnel security,
and screening of prospective employees and contractors. A secure
chain of custody must also be established from the screening
facility to the aircraft.
Prior to the Aug. 1 deadline, over 900 facilities became CCSP
certified. This innovative program spreads the cargo screening
responsibility, on a voluntary basis, throughout the supply chain
to manufacturing facilities and distribution centers. This
distributed screening effort has enabled over half of the more than
9 million pounds of cargo loaded onboard passenger-carrying planes
each day to be prescreened, avoiding potential bottlenecks at
airports.