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Abstract
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 displayed the shortcomings of aviation
security in the United States. Most of the attention on aviation security since that time
has focused on airline passengers, their luggage, and their carry-on items, leaving air
cargo security on the back burner. The lack of security screening and screening
guidelines of cargo traveling by both passenger and all-cargo aircraft is the driving
purpose behind this research project: the development of a framework that may be used
by individual airports or airlines to analyze various security setups for screening
outbound air cargo within an on-airport cargo facility. This was accomplished through
airport surveys, a case study at an air cargo facility, and computer simulations testing
various setups of security technologies to screen cargo within a facility.
Data collected from surveys sent to major airports around the nation revealed the
lack of security in the air cargo environment and validated the need for this research.
Information was obtained on security measures utilized for cargo and personnel, as well
as the frequency of cargo screenings and information on the size and setups of cargo
facilities. A case study was performed at a cargo facility within a major U.S. airport in
order to gather data pertinent to the simulations used to test the security setups.
Information gathered on truck arrivals, the number of flight destinations, security
measures in place, as well as the general facility setup was used to form the basis of the
simulations. The simulations, conducted in Arena 7.01, tested the effectiveness and
cargo throughput of four security cases. Each case employed a different combination of
security measures proven suitable for an air cargo environment. The security setups were
evaluated based on the security systems’ costs, the overall effectiveness of catching highrisk
cargo, and the average amount of time taken to process cargo through the facility.
The Arena simulations present airlines, freight forwarders, and airport authorities
with the necessary tool to evaluate various cargo security screening measures that will
provide the best security solution for their particular facility or facilities. However,
further research is needed on the effectiveness of many security technologies. With this
information, government and aviation officials will be able to use this framework as a
step toward achieving a well-rounded plan for ensuring the safety and security of our
nation’s air cargo.