ICAO and WCO update air cargo security guidance

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) have issued new guidance to help the air cargo industry manage air cargo security threats.

The third edition of “Moving Air Cargo Globally” describes the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, and highlights how they can work together effectively to secure air cargo and mail within the regulatory framework. 

This guidance also highlights the increasing importance of digitalising cargo processes, in order to make them better fit for purpose in modern multimodal supply chains, and more agile, responsive, and secure in the face of new opportunities and threats.

The guidance focuses on measures around high-risk cargo and screening, including preventive security measures directed at staff members to mitigate the threats posed by insiders. 

Drawing on inputs from wide ranging stakeholders, including both regulators and industry, ICAO said the publication recognises the critical role international supply chains play as catalysts for sustainable development at the national, regional, and global levels, underscoring the broader need to avoid security-related disruptions to these activities. 

The highly complex nature of the air cargo and mail operating environment, involving a multiplicity of entities, might add to the day-to-day operational difficulties of implementing security measures and countering threats, added the United Nations agency.

“Maintaining operational efficiency and commercial viability has always been at the cornerstone of ICAO’s efforts towards improving aviation security, as demonstrated by the tremendous adaptability and resilience the air cargo sector showed during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said ICAO secretary general Juan Carlos Salazar.

He added: “Moving Air Cargo Globally will help to support the implementation of robust and harmonized standards worldwide, while fostering the improved air transport connectivity which is so critical to the future sustainability of societies and economies everywhere.” 

ICAO takes aim at air cargo digitalisation with proposed task force