Securing air cargo
Learn about the three primary methods used to certify the safety and security of goods handed over to airlines: X-ray scanners, cynorology (dog teams), and odorology. Understand how each method works and their respective usage frequencie
There are three main methods of certifying the safety/security of goods handed over to airlines. They are ranked from the most frequent to the least frequent:
X-ray Scanner (80% of the controls)
It allows the identification by imaging of the contents of the package or pallet delivered.
When goods cannot be scanned (dimensions too large for the scanner, opaque packaging that neutralises the effect of X-rays, such as black film around a pallet or sealed blue plastic drums) two other methods can be used.
Cynorology (20% of the time)
Cynorology / Dog team: An officer has a specially trained dog sniff the parcel or pallet. He is able to detect any explosive or narcotic product. It represent 19% of the controls in France, often less abroad
Odorology (<1%)
This consists of sampling the air from the package or pallet container (i.e. the entire atmosphere of a truck or container is tested) to special filters. These filters are reformatted in the laboratory so that they can be easily sniffed out by a dog team. No opening of the container, no unpacking or sampling, the goods remain intact. It is also worth noting that this technique allows each dog to sniff seven atmospheres at a time. This drastically reduces waiting times.
🧜♂️ Good to know ! The securization of the cargo can take time. As a person you need to go to the airport with some anticipation in order to pass the security check. For the cargo it’s the same (the timing can change from an airport to another).
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