The Dutch airport has revealed that it will implement the chain information system Secure Import at the beginning of 2024.
In 2023 all driver visits to dnata, KLM Cargo, Menzies Aviation, Swissport and Worldwide Flight Services’ forecourts at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol had to be notified in advance via e-registration. The deployment of Secure Import will further tighten security.
“In response to a number of incidents of theft at Schiphol, together with our partner SmartLOXS and security managers at Schiphol, we have developed a ten-step plan to counter theft in the air cargo chain. The development and implementation of Secure Import is the final step in the plan and will ensure that Schiphol Airport is a forerunner in the fight against cargo theft,” said Maarten van As, managing director, Air Cargo Netherlands.
The process
The ground handler will use Secure Import to advise a forwarder that a shipment is ready for collection. The forwarder can then, within the same system, direct a transporter to pick up the shipment. The Secure Import system checks that these are the correct parties for this particular shipment and informs the ground handler who collects it and when. The new system has a built-in secure e-Visit key relating to the various process steps required for the transfer of a shipment. A driver will be given the cargo only once the e-Visit Key is ok. Secure Import shares sensitive shipment information only on a need-to-know basis, preventing data manipulation by third parties.
Preventing cargo theft
Secure Import was developed both to improve security in the air cargo chain and to drive increased efficiency. The solution is part of Schiphol’s Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP) and has been developed in close consultation with its future users. Support and coordination were provided by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management’s national Digital Infrastructure Logistics (DIL) programme.
“The introduction of Secure Import contributes to the course we are taking with the cargo community: steering on quality and predictability. With this new system we can now even better protect goods transported via Schiphol against theft and undermining, and remain an attractive main port favoured by shippers and forwarders to transport their high-quality cargo,” said Joost van Doesburg, Head of Cargo at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
