DHL provides extensive range of services for new air freight regulations

• Large selection of courses and workshops to prepare for the EU-wide regulations effective from April 29
• Joint venture between DHL Global Forwarding and Luftfrachtsicherheit-Service GmbH creates new jobs


Bonn
DHL Global Forwarding offers its customers a comprehensive range of services to help them comply with new security regulations which will be in place as of April 29, 2013. The company has not only developed a wide-ranging program of consultancy and support services in the form of courses and workshops, but it also handles the inspection and securing of air cargo for clients. DHL Global Forwarding uses specialist X-ray units and explosive detectors, known as “sniffers”, sourced from its partner in the joint venture, Luftfrachtsicherheit-Service GmbH. In addition, DHL assists clients in obtaining certification as a known consignor from Germany’s Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - LBA).


Access to necessary infrastructure

“Security is the number one priority when transporting cargo by plane, so we started exploring this issue early on. One objective was to seamlessly integrate the new legal provisions with our own processes. Another objective was to ensure that our services remain unchanged in terms of quality. There are other benefits to the change in regulations as well - our partnership with Luftfrachtsicherheit-Service will generate additional jobs”, says Dr. Jürgen Klenner, Vice President of DHL Global Forwarding Deutschland.

The cooperation with Luftfrachtsicherheit-Service GmbH means DHL Global Forwarding now has access to the infrastructure necessary to carry out more extensive security checks using X-ray scanners, explosives detectors and manual inspection performed by specially trained staff. The partnership between the two companies has led to the creation of 20 new jobs.

Employees took part in early training

Once the transitional period for the new EU rules ends on April 29, 2013, security declarations in their current form will no longer be valid. Companies will therefore have to reapply to the Federal Aviation Office in order to obtain the status of known consignor. However, research has revealed that only approximately five percent out of a total of 65,000 freight companies will have certification as being adequately secure by the end of April. The rising volume of non-secure freight requires safety precautions and guidelines that could potentially lead to delays and higher costs.

Clients who wish to receive known consignor status will receive support from DHL Global Forwarding, which entails the creation of security-compliant programs and training courses for their staff. The company’s own employees took part in early training as part of in-house, hands-on workshops dedicated to the new air cargo regulations.