The United States has opened its first airside centralised examination station (CES) for air cargo at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials from the Area Port of Dallas joined with DFW airport officials and executives from dnata Cargo USA to publicly announce the opening of the country's first and only CBP Centralized Examination Station with direct access to an Airport Air Operations Area (AOA).
[Source: CBP]
In a statement, CBP said this setup, which traditionally takes place outside of a secure airfield environment at other airports, enables the direct transfer of cargo from airplanes to the CBP inspection facility, eliminating the need for additional transport and significantly enhancing efficiency.
"This ambitious venture with dnata Cargo USA and DFW supports a strong economy and gives the Area Port of Dallas the cargo processing space to consolidate CBP enforcement efforts and the unprecedented volume of International E-commerce shipments", said Jayson Ahern, port director of CBP Dallas Area.
"These streamlined efforts allow CBP to better leverage our resources and manpower while ensuring we fulfil our national security mission. We are better suited to process legitimate cargo while protecting American businesses and consumers by intercepting illicit and possibly unsafe goods. This is at the core of CBP's mission," he added.
With CBP officers on site, the CES ensures smooth inspections and optimal use of CBP resources. The CES also features the latest non-intrusive inspection technology to expedite cargo exams, streamlining the overall package clearance process at DFW.
"The CES is a key part of supporting DFW Airport's rapid growth of international e-commerce package clearances," said Chris McLaughlin, executive vice president of operations at DFW.
"We're just beginning to tap into our immense business potential in cargo, thanks to our location in the center of the country, coupled with our extensive air service network. We thank our partners at CBP for choosing DFW as the first airport in the nation to lean into this new operating model."
In fiscal year 2020, DFW Airport processed 16,000 international e-commerce clearances. The airport's e-commerce clearances increased to 20 million packages in 2023, and in the first half of 2024, that number has already exceeded 23 million packages.
"This CES will serve as a model for future port efforts throughout the United States. Together with our DFW and dnata Cargo USA partners, we're proud to be on the front end of this innovative effort," McLaughlin of DFW added.
The US CBP noted that while the vast majority of importers follow US laws and regulations, transnational criminal organizations "constantly attempt to circumvent the system by hiding their contraband under the massive flow of legitimate shipments."
The opening of the CES facility comes as a proposed bill in the US Senate also seeks to increase scrutiny on e-commerce imports coming into the country to combat the influx of illegal and counterfeit products.