Switzerland takes step toward more secure air cargo
Source:aircargoworld 2014-1-15 10:33:00
The electronic consignment security declaration (e-CSD) will be adopted in Switzerland, paving the way for the more secure transport of air cargo. For the last two years, the International Air Transport Association has been working with carriers, regulators, freight forwarders, ground handling agents and other parties worldwide to develop standards and processes for e-CSD data capture. In Switzerland, SWISS WorldCargo, Kuehne + Nagel and ground handling agent Cargologic were involved in the preparatory e-CSD testing earlier in 2013 in collaboration with Interest Group Air Cargo Switzerland. IG Cargo is an organization that promotes Swiss airfreight. The adoption of the new e-CSD facility in Switzerland follows the recent approval of the corresponding e-CSD standards by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, Switzerland’s aviation authority. IATA and its partners have proven to FOCA that there are no obstacles to the electronic transmission of highly sensitive data. The e-CSD approach is making the transport of air cargo more efficient and secure by providing the security status of a shipment in electronic format. The new electronic declaration highlights who has secured each consignment as well as how and when it was secured. With its standardization of both the process and the documentation of such evidence, e-CSD will replace redundant security declarations in various formats, and will simplify validity checks to ease the operational work. “The e-CSD is a key facilitator for securing the whole supply chain,” Des Vertannes, global head of cargo at IATA, said. “By establishing that cargo and mail consignments have been correctly secured upstream of the airport and through transit points, bottlenecks and delays will be reduced. Thanks to the work of the IG Air Cargo in Switzerland, the FOCA have joined other key regulators in endorsing the e-CSD, which we hope will pave the way for other significant endorsements in the months to come.” Swiss WorldCargo and IG Air Cargo will now present the benefits of the new e-CSD standards to the main airfreight stakeholders in Switzerland. This will be done in January through three separate introduction sessions in Zurich, Basel and Geneva.