TSA says program will help keep air cargo moving after security exception closes

Federal air safety regulators are expanding a program that they say will allow logistics companies to continue shipping goods via air freight after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) closes a loophole in October that currently allows Impractical to Screen (ITS) cargo to travel through the “secure supply chain.”

In 2021, TSA first mandated 100% screening of air cargo originating in the U.S. and destined for non-U.S. locations that is transported on all-cargo aircraft. In order to help the industry meet that new regulatory requirement, TSA originally allowed an exemption for Impractical to Screen (ITS) cargo. But the agency now says that amendment will expire on October 31.

To ease that transition, TSA is now expanding its Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), which is designed to help logistics companies keep moving freight without additional security screening.

Specifically, TSA says it is actively encouraging indirect air carriers (IACs), manufacturing facilities, assembly facilities, shippers, warehouses, and distribution centers to apply for and become a Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF). Approved sites will be certified to assemble, pack, secure, and tender cargo for air transport in a secured manner, where no additional screening will be required.

To qualify, sites must

• adhere to stringent security requirements set by a TSA security program;
• screen cargo at the piece level;
• initiate and maintain the integrity of cargo through chain of custody measures; and
• permit on site validations and periodic TSA inspections.

"The Certified Cargo Screening Program ensures that air cargo moves more quickly and securely through the supply chain," TSA Executive Director for Air Cargo John Beckius said in a release. "With this expansion, TSA will partner with interested participants in the cargo supply chain to carry out a TSA-approved security program and adhere to rigorous chain-of-custody requirements. This will enable certified program participants to package and ship secure air cargo, while reducing the need for additional screening requirements later in the supply chain."