O'Hare International Airport's air cargo security access system

The increasing emphasis that has been placed over the last few years on building a global economy and creating seamless political boundaries requires governments to augment all aspects of aviation security. This is becoming increasingly important in the air cargo sector of aviation-given that truck-to-air cargo movements are growing at a rate of nearly ten per cent per year. The concern is exacerbated by the fact that nearly 60% of air cargo is transported on passenger planes. In responding to these factors, the Gore Commission on Aviation Security identified air cargo security as an area of vulnerability. Consequently, the Federal Aviation Administration is operationally testing a variety of technology applications designed to improve aviation security, decrease processing time, and reduce human error. This paper provides a project synopsis and research results of the FAA Research grant No 9550.7 A, titled "Air Cargo Security Access System". This grant explored a biometric smart card security access system that was operationally tested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The information presented in this paper are the findings of the research grantees, ATAF, etc. The views and findings expressed do not represent an endorsement on the part of the FAA. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or use.