Air, Freight News

Keeping tabs on the post is tough, says TIACA chief

[ April 10, 2014   //   Chris ]

The e-commerce boom and surge in mail parcel volumes are creating fresh challenges for pending Advance Data Filing regulations, Douglas Brittin secretary general of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), told the Universal Postal Union (UPU)’s Postal Security Group meeting in Bern, Switzerland in early April.

The new regulations would require individual shipment information to be submitted to destination regulatory agencies before transport, rather than prior to arrival at the port of entry as currently.

The air cargo industry and postal operators need to work closely with customs and civil aviation security regulators to ensure new regulations and screening protocols are standardised and workable, Brittin told delegates

“With mail parcels, we are potentially dealing with a different type of shipper, and we are looking at significant and growing volumes,” he said.

A high percentage of shipments may need extral security screening, he added.

Operationally, the challenge would be identifying where the individual parcels are located if the information is not processed by regulators quickly and efficiently.

“Postal Operators face their own challenges when it comes to screening,” said Brittin. “A shipment may be only one piece in a Unit Load Device, but may be required to be found, off-loaded and screened. We need to work to ensure standardization of the data elements themselves, as well as security screening protocols, which now vary significantly.”

Advance Data programs, such as the ACAS in the US, the European Union’s PRECISE and Canada’s PACT programs will be discussed at TIACA’s AGM in Istanbul on 24-25 April.

A panel of experts will debate the issues at a workshop session, looking at the impact of new regulations on shippers, forwarders, postal operators, and carriers.

Tags: Douglas Brittin, TIACA, UPU