Air Cargo Day IATA Lecture
I am very honored to be here and I would like to thank you for inviting me to this important event.
As you mentioned, I am the owner and the Security Manager of Avsec Cargo – a company that holds a regulated agent status in Poland. I believe that nowadays, we are either part of the problem or part of the solution. I am sure we all want to belong to the second category. This is why my company supports other regulated agents, such as consignors and road transport companies (hauliers), in meeting the aviation security requirements.
We advise our partners whether from economical and commercial point of view there is a reason to become a part of the supply chain security. We prepare them for the certification process in CAA, we implement the internal quality control process and conduct classroom and online trainings.
My company also performs security screening, nevertheless as a Founder of Polish Regulated Agents and Known Consignors . Not because I am against the security screening procedure – I equally provide such services – but because I am sure that both solutions guarantee the same level of security.
I have been always fascinated by the possibility of increasing the efficiency of the entire process of air cargo transport by creating a secure supply chain and at the same time by reducing costs and, most importantly, by saving time resulting from security screening at the airports.
I decided that this matter needed an explanation in terms of science.
That is why I wrote my PhD thesis at Warsaw School of Economics where I proven that the delivery of a SPX Cargo to an airline is much more effective than screening it at the airport . When properly executed, it creates no dangers for aviation security level. Why is that true?
Security Screening is an expensive and time-consuming process. It sometimes causes damages because of the necessity to open and check parcels by hand search or using Explosive Trace Detection. But of course it is necessary. Around 70-80% of air cargoes are carried on passenger flights, so it is very important to make sure that explosives are not part of the flown cargo. Yet, we do not have to screen the cargo at the airport. EU and ICAO regulations admit two options of delivering a SPX cargo to the airline.
First option is having a Regulated Agent screen the cargo and deliver it in a secure supply chain to the airport. Second one consists of delivering the cargo from a Known Consignor without any further security screening at the airport.
Most of the Polish cargo are transported by trucks to German airports, like Frankfurt Airport. The reason is the lack of intercontinental connections from Polish Airports and, of course, a difference in screening price between Germany and Poland. Polish Cargoes are screened by the regulated agents and later on, it is loaded on the trucks and delivered in a secure supply chain with a SPX status to German or other European airports.
On one hand, such situation is advantageous to our market – for example for Regulated Agents who scan the cargo. However, due to ineffective methods of screening, such as lack of Explosive Detection Dogs, it very often causes operational problems resulting in delays and refusals. This breaks the chain, and cargo flow is moved to different locations, which means that the Polish economy may notice some losses. To avoid this, I hope that my company will be the first one to use Explosive Detection Dogs for screening cargoes in Poland. This method allows a regulated agent to screen the cargo without opening a package.
As I said before, we have another option. To avoid security screening shippers – usually manufactures – we can use Known Consignors.
The big question is why Germany has almost 2000 of Known Consignors, whereas there are only 8 of them in Poland. This is a great opportunity for the entire aviation sector to multiply this number.
I think, one of the reasons why the number of KC in Poland is so low, is a insufficient awareness among shippers and a feeling that is it an expensive and complicated process to receive the status in CAA. While it is not. It is actually quite simple. Most manufacturers producing high value goods already meet the security requirements. They just need to implement aviation security procedures like background check or training for those who will be accessed to identified air cargo. Cooperation with Polish CAA is efficient and easy. One of the potential problems for freight forwarders is the fact that they have to use road transport companies who observe the EU regulations covered by 6E Haulier Declaration. And since we do not have such companies’ database on a national level, we have created an online platform where our partners can check if the hauliers meet the requirements. This tool will surely help our clients to implement the security regulations and to be flexible on the market.
To sum up: In Poland, we have the following solutions on the cargo market:
- Active promotion of the idea of Known Consignors among manufacturers, which means highlighting the benefits of having a status, like: reduction of costs resulting from the security screening at the airport, shortening the time of delivery of shipments and the reduction of the risk associated with its damage during the screening.
- Relieving Warsaw Chopin Airport from the necessity to conduct security screening by delivering cargo with a SPX status.
- Providing a database of road transport companies that meet the aviation security requirements. Such database should be widely available on a national or EU level.
dr Bartosz Stolarek
