You’re (not yet) hired: Airforwarders press Trump for new TSA admin

The efficient and safe movement of air cargo hinges on President Trump’s timely nomination of a new head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Airforwarders Association (AfA) said last week, stating that “political leadership of agency is essential to air transportation safety.” The White House has, so far, failed to confirm a new administrator, following the retirement of Peter Neffinger, who left with the Obama administration.

Air Carrier Standard Security Program (IACSSP) The AfA praised the work of the agency’s interim leadership and staff, but warned that the TSA’s operations and policies have a broad impact on its members. Representing more than 300 companies that move air cargo through the supply chain, the AfA noted that the ongoing vacancy could disrupt operations and compromise economic growth.

“Knowing the way things work in Washington, it is important that TSA is under the direction of someone who has been officially endorsed by both the President and the Congress,” said Brandon Fried, the AfA’s executive director. “It is important to our industry, to the traveling public and the nation at large to get this underway.”

Under the Obama administration, the TSA’s Indirect Air Carrier Standard Security Program (IACSSP) was nearing completion. The program is designed to make air cargo transport and safety more efficient, flexible and cost-effective for both industry and government. Without leadership, progress has stalled, and Fried and other industry advocates say the time to act is now.

Confirmed leadership at TSA, Fried said, will also help champion the success of important initiatives, such as making modifications to the “known shipper” program that accommodate the changing needs of business in an e-commerce environment, and the expanded use of privatized canines in government certified screening facilities run by air forwarders.

Those interested in learning more about airfreight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com