The paradigm of passenger air cargo security was set to shift on August 3, 2007 when the 9/11 Act was signed. In addition to mandating security enhancements across the government, this law “requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a system to enable industry to screen 100 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft at a level of security commensurate with the level of security of passenger checked baggage within three years.” To date, the impact of the 9/11 Act has minimally affected the air cargo industry as it reached the 50% screening milestone in February 2009. However, the full challenges of implementing the law will be felt as the 100% screening requirement approaches in August 2010. As the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) presses toward providing a flexible solution for industry, it does not anticipate any adjustment, extension, or elimination of the Congressional mandate.

Given that cargo must be screened on a level commensurate to passenger baggage, the requirement of “piece level screening” is necessary to achieving the 100% mandate. This poses complex challenges to the current supply chain, as cargo arrives at an airport in large containers, pallets built up from smaller pieces of cargo from a variety of sources, and loose cargo that is often mixed together. “Piece level screening” will require each piece within those larger configurations to be deconstructed, individually screened and reconstructed, significantly increasing handling and processing time and costs.

Initially, a Federally managed screening service, similar to that used for passengers and baggage, was considered to accomplish this task. Given the nuanced details of the air cargo supply chain, this solution had many drawbacks. Performing piece-level screening on millions of pieces of cargo would require inspecting - and possibly opening - each box, with little regard for the integrity of packaging, nor the special handling requirements of some goods, and also little, if any, consideration given to the need for quick throughput. Additionally, screening cargo at the piece level at the airport would result in bottlenecks and delays. Alternatively, screening could be performed by the air carriers at airports. Although air carriers have screening capabilities, most facilities do not have the necessary operational scalability from a technology and logistics perspective. Even if on-airport facilities could adjust their operations, the bottleneck and delay issues would still exist. To eliminate these problems and achieve the required service levels, the costs would be prohibitive.