No doubt that continuing
world events bring air cargo security to the fore.
In a recent move, the Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF), which provides security to nine major cargo terminals
in the country, has now made a specific request to be allowed to take
a look at consignments landing at the airports.
For
the moment, these consignments are X-rayed by private security personnel
of cargo companies before being allowed to go out of the airports.
According to CISF’s Additional Director
General (Airport), O. P. Singh (left) at Delhi, the major reason the CISF
was given the responsibility of the cargo terminals was primarily because
“there was a perceived terror threat” received from intelligence
sources. In addition, the screening was necessary to prevent forwarders
from under reporting weights. “We should be allowed to screen the
shipments to be fully assured of the contents inside,” said Singh.
In the cargo terminals, the CISF use sniffer
dogs to check the consignments that land at the airport; it is nothing
in comparison to the security regimen followed in the passenger section,
where the CISF personnel frisk every flier and X-ray each piece of luggage
before allowing entry into aircraft.
The absence of proper security arrangements
at cargo terminals could put an end to exports from the south Indian city
of Chennai starting July 1, 2014, when the new security rules prescribed
by the European Union kick in.
Chennai airport is managed and operated
by the state-run Airports Authority of India and has undergone massive
expansion and modernization recently, but it has yet to comply with the
EU new air cargo security standards. Termed the ACC3 or “air cargo
or mail carrier operating into the Union from a third country airport,”
it is obligatory for Chennai airport to get cargo or mail security-checked
by an EU certified regulator. At least 30 percent of the export cargo
handled by Chennai goes to the EU and the U.S. through airports in the
EU.
J. Krishnan, Chairman, (right) Logistics
Committee, Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a leading freight
forwarder, pointed out that while privately run airports in south India—Bengaluru
and Hyderabad—as well as other international airports had complied
with the EU directives and installed the new security regime, Chennai
had lagged behind. He gave the example of X-ray machines. The ones at
Chennai could not scan the top and bottom of cargo consignments. Though
AAI authorities have assured the air cargo stakeholders that the airport
would be able to comply with the EU directives starting in July, Krishnan
is not very sure that will happen and even if new machines were ordered,
they would take at least 3-4 months to be delivered and installed. To
top it all, there weren’t enough certifying agents from the EU.
If the inevitable happens in Chennai, most
of the cargo will have to be sent out through Bengaluru or Hyderabad or
via any of the airports in the Middle East. "
The major reason for the delay in the upgrading
of the cargo facilities at Chennai is because the airport is in the midst
of a privatization move and all capital expenditure has been put on hold.
For the next few months—at least until May 2014—nothing will
be done, as the country will be going through a general election that
has already been announced. In the interim period, the government can
make no major infrastructure decisions because the model code of conduct
of the Election Commission of India is in force, and any expense could
be construed as political party gratification to garner votes.
Among those Indian carriers that could be
affected will be Air India and Jet Airways, since both have flights to
Europe. The other airlines with flights from Chennai to Europe are Lufthansa
and KLM (Martinair).
FlyingTypers spoke
to Radharamanan Panicker, Group Chief Executive of Cargo Service Centre,
which operates the cargo terminals in Delhi and Mumbai. He said that he
did not see “any problem in India to meet the July 1 deadline.”
In fact, the Cargo Service Centres had been doing 100 percent screening
of cargo, according to the directives from the Bureau of Civil Aviation
Safety (BCAS).
At Mumbai International Airport, too, there would not be any problems.
The airport’s approved agent has asked for permission from BCAS
to undertake validation. Carriers like British Airways and others have
sent out requests to BCAS to undertake independent validations, which
would be completed by April.
Tirthankar Ghosh
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