SA yet to commit to Secure Freight programme

Air cargo security
regulations were heralded
into the South African
air cargo environment
under Part 108 of the Civil
Aviation Regulations which
became law on July 1, 2009,
according to Bob Garbett,
MD of Professional Risk
& Asset Management and
honorary director of the
Civil Aviation Association
of Southern Africa (Caasa).
“The regulations are
based almost completely,”
he told FTW, “on Annexure
17 of the International
Civil Aviation Organisation
(Icao), and the build-up
to the introduction of
the regulations involved
significant input from the
aviation industry and the
SA Civil Aviation Authority
(Saaca).”
The regulations, and their
accompanying technical
standards, promote the
establishment of a secure
conduit from the consignor
(sender) of air freight
through the various twistsand-
turns in the conduit to
the aircraft. The regulations
cover domestic, regional
and international air freight.
This concept has been
adopted and encouraged
in many countries and
through many organisations
including Icao and the
International Air Transport
Association (Iata).
Contracting states
to Icao, which include
SA, must follow the
standard practices which
are introduced, such as
Annexure 17, or lodge
differences with Icao.
SA has not lodged any
differences covering
Annexure 17, and therefore
accepted it verbatim.
The Iata “Secure Freight”
programme, which is a
mirror image of the Icao
programme, according to
Garbett, has been formally
adopted by many countries
including the UK and
Australia.