Security program ‘increases risk to passenger aircraft’ — Skinner

Saturday, 21 June 2008

According to the US Homeland Security Department’s inspector general, Richard Skinner, the program by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) increases the opportunity (to put) explosives, incendiaries and other dangerous devices on passenger aircraft.

He said the TSA had too few cargo inspectors, an ineffective database to track violations and “vague regulations” for screening cargo being put on passenger aircraft.

In the US, passenger planes carry around 7500 tonnes of cargo a day in baggage storage areas under passenger cabins. Airlines typically lease a portion of their cargo holds to freight companies. Last year, they reportedly earned US$4.4 billion from cargo operations.

The TSA claims it has made improvements but admitted that the Homeland Security Department’s report had “legitimate criticisms”.

The report followed an order by Congress for the TSA to vastly improve cargo screening over the next three years.
The crackdown to check cargo for bombs is far more complicated than screening luggage, because cargo often arrives at airports in large shrink-wrapped packages that do not fit into commercial bomb detectors. Only a small percentage of cargo put on passenger aircraft is physically inspected. In the US, these inspections are carried out by airlines under TSA oversight.

The TSA “does not provide sufficient resources” to monitor airlines and “does not ensure that air carriers are screening cargo to federal regulations. Vaguely written security regulations result in TSA inspectors and airlines applying rules differently,” the report blasted. 

It also said TSA inspectors “reported not being properly trained”.