NATA INTRODUCES NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR CARGO SECURITY

NATA INTRODUCES NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR CARGO SECURITY    The National Air Transportation Association has introduced new technology that will provide background and biological information of cargo handlers at American airports.
   Displaying what he called a “smart card,” NATA president James Coyne said the technology developed by the NATA and technology leaders will provide extensive background information on cargo handlers, while confirming the cardholder’s true identity through biometrics.
   Coyne said that, if a system like this were in place, air cargo carriers would know the backgrounds — while receiving current security information — of their employees who load passenger and cargo.
   “The risk is not the cargo, it’s the people,” Coyne said, stressing the importance of employee background checks through NATA’s “SkyGuard” program.
   Coyne added that air cargo volume in America will drop as the economy downturns. However, he said, one effect from the tragedies of Sept. 11 is that there is a national demand for electronic security products. These products will need to be transported, thus helping increase cargo volumes, he added.
   The technology would be ineffective for all pieces of cargo to be screened before entering each plane. He emphasized that the dangers lie not in the goods entering the plane, but the people handling the goods. “I begin to think we are out of touch when we support such things,” he said of 100 percent cargo screening.