By the first of August 2010, all air shipments transported on US passenger planes must be tested for explosives under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act. It is generally believed that about a third of air frieght is transported in the belly of passenger jets.
The TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) presently accounts for 40 % of screened cargo at American airports. By August, one hundred percent of cargo on passenger aircraft departing the United States will have to be evaluated prior to loading. With less than 90 days to one hundred percent mandatory screening, some fear shipping delays and increased costs. The Transportation Security Agency is expecting a surge in shipper and IAC requests to join the CCSP program.
An Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) is any person or entity within the US that does not have a Federal Aviation Administration air carrier operating certificate and engages indirectly in air transportation of property via passenger airplanes. Each Indirect Air Carrier must be approved by the Transportation Security Administration and carry out a security procedure that meets TSA requirements. IAC applicants undergo a background check with Homeland Security and if approved, must undergo specific mandatory training. IACs must also maintain certain paperwork for every shipment.
The TSA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, oversees national aviation safety. It has 60,000 workers, including approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Officers who provide security at airport screening checkpoints and elsewhere. The CCSP and the IAC programs supplement TSA’s security efforts.
Wilmington Courier Cape Fear Courier Services, Inc. is the only Wilmington, NC based Indirect Air Carrier. Indirect Air Carrier’s frequently transport medical specimens and emergency medical supplies. As a result, it is possible that medical lab specimens may be delayed beginning in August as the new rules are implemented. It may also be that land based transportation services increase during the phase in of the new requirements.