TSA Sets New Air Cargo Security Regulations

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he Transportation Security Administration late Wednesday announced new air cargo security requirements aimed at protecting the more than 50,000 tons of cargo transported aboard passenger and cargo aircraft each day.

The security requirements mark the first substantial changes to air cargo regulations since 1999, and represent “a joint government-industry vision of an enhanced security baseline,” the agency said.

“Working with the industry we have set a solid foundation for a major segment of the transportation network,” said TSA Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley.

he air cargo final rule, details of which will be published soon in the Federal Register, makes permanent some practices already in place and adds others.

TSA said new security measures include:

• Consolidating the approximately 4,000 private industry “known shipper” lists into one central database managed by TSA;

font size=4>• Requiring background checks of approximately 51,000 off-airport freight-forwarder employees;

• Extending secure areas of airports to include ramps and cargo facilities, which will require an additional 50,000 cargo aircraft operator employees to receive full criminal history background checks; and

• Requiring the employees of more than 4,000 freight forwarders to attend enhanced security training courses developed by TSA.

The new measures will be enforced by an expanded force of air cargo inspectors. In the coming weeks, TSA said it will hire 300 new inspectors, who will be stationed at 102 airports where 95% of domestic air cargo originates.