Qatar Airways Cargo and its ground handler partner Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) are employing technical detection dogs as an additional layer of airfreight security to sniff out concealed lithium batteries for the airline’s flights departing from Hong Kong.
MSA Security, An Allied Universal Company (MSA) is now operating a team of security professionals and sniffer dogs within a designated area of Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1 facility to provide the detection service.
The canines have been specially trained to detect specific odors, allowing them to detect lithium batteries in loose, palletized, or containerized cargo.
During proving trials at Hactl, an MSA dog effectively detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, as well as a single power bank that was concealed on a pallet with other general cargo.
Canine detection is used by Qatar Airways Cargo and Hactl to search for lithium batteries.
Qatar Airways Cargo and Hactl are the first cargo carrier and handler in Hong Kong to employ trained sniffer canines for lithium battery detection.
Due to the difficulty of reliably identifying lithium batteries via X-ray images, especially for e-commerce shipments containing multiple categories of product in small packages, the carrier chose dogs over traditional X-ray detection alone.
MSA dogs are trained at one of the company’s eleven canine training centers in the United States and confined in their Hong Kong-based kennel. Additional canines are constantly being trained and can be made readily available in the event of an increase in demand.
Qatar Airways’ Chief Officer of Cargo, Guillaume Halleux, stated, “We always maintain the highest level of aviation safety and security, and we have consistently advocated for proper regulations regarding the transport of lithium batteries.”
“Recently, we became the second airline in the world to receive IATA CEIV Lithium Batteries certification, and we are constantly looking for ways to enhance our processes. The trials with MSA have been very successful, and our decision to adopt their services via Hactl represents a significant stride forward for our brand.”
Wilson Kwong, chief executive officer of Hactl, added, “We are thrilled to collaborate with our valued customer Qatar Airways Cargo to provide them with this innovative service enhancement.”
“Effective aviation safety and security necessitate that we utilize every new technology and technique, and this latest move aligns perfectly with Hactl’s constant drive for continuous improvement in every aspect of its operations.”
Hactl is currently conducting trials with another major carrier and plans to offer the technical detection dog service option to all of its customers.