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The Airforwarders Association (AfA) warns of the potential consequences of privatizing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In a speech at the CNS Partnership Conference in San Francisco, Brandon Fried, the Executive Director of the AfA, expressed concerns that a reduction in government oversight could jeopardize aviation security. This could undermine the lessons learned after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Fried emphasized that the lessons from the events of 2001 are clear and that the risks of failure are too high. He warned that any weakening of federal control over passenger screening could bring back the security vulnerabilities that the system was originally designed to eliminate. The federalization of passenger screening was introduced as a direct response to the systemic weaknesses that became apparent before the attacks, when often cost-effective security contracts took precedence over effectiveness.
The AfA argues that carriers have developed an effective security model based on programs such as the Known Shipper Program, the Certified Cargo Screening Program, and Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS). These programs allow certified operators to screen cargo before it reaches airports and to transmit data in advance of departure. National standards and responsibilities are maintained by the TSA, Customs and Border Protection, and the industry.
The AfA makes it clear that this model should not be used as a justification for privatizing passenger screening. Fragmented procurement and cost-driven contracts were weaknesses that federalization was meant to address. Fried added that the air cargo industry has shown that public-private partnerships can work, but only with strong federal oversight that sets standards and monitors compliance.
The Airforwarders Association urges policymakers to reject proposals to privatize passenger screening and instead to maintain and strengthen the TSA’s authority to ensure uniform security standards in aviation.
At the conference, Fried, who has been the Executive Director of the AfA since 2005 and recently announced his resignation at the end of the year, was recognized by Alicia Lines, President of Cargo Network Services, for his contributions to the air cargo industry.
