Tighter US security measures cause little impact on air cargo industry

Tougher security measures introduced last month for some US-bound cargo at Hong Kong International Airport have had little impact on airfreight operations so far, industry experts said.

But they reiterated concerns about the possible negative impact on Hong Kong's air cargo business when tighter controls are applied to all US and European airfreight next year.

Dr Paul Tsui Hon-yan, the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding & Logistics, said cargo operations at Cathay Pacific Airways had been running smoothly since the new measures were initiated.

Mark Whitehead, the managing director of Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd, the largest freight handler at the airport, said: "Compliance with the new regulations has gone smoothly, and the situation is fully under control."

Under the programme, called air cargo advance screening by US authorities, details about the shipper, consignee and cargo have to be lodged with the Transportation Security Administration at US Customs and Border Protection before cargo is loaded on aircraft. Law enforcement officials will then give permission to load, or decide that cargo should be X-rayed or stopped from being loaded pending further inquiries.

Hactl said the pilot scheme, which became mandatory from December 12 and covers cargo flown in passenger aircraft, was absorbing 25 per cent of its 500 tonnes per day X-ray screening capability. But the US authorities plan to extend the advance screening pilot to cover cargo transported on freighter aircraft.