QATAR Airways Cargo and its ground handler hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) have teamed up to provide an extra layer of security for the airline's ex-Hong Kong flights, using technical detection dogs to sniff out hidden lithium batteries in air cargo.
The detection service is being provided by leading specialist MSA Security, An Allied Universal Company (MSA), which now operates a team of security experts and sniffer dogs within a dedicated area of Hactl's SuperTerminal 1 facility.
Qatar Airways Cargo and Hactl are the first carrier and cargo handler in Hong Kong to utilise trained sniffer dogs for lithium battery detection.
The dogs are specially-trained to detect specific odours, resulting in their ability to detect lithium batteries, whether they are in loose, palletized or containerized cargo.
In proving trials at Hactl, an MSA dog successfully detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, and even a single power bank, located on pallets containing other general cargo.
MSA dogs are trained at one of the company's eleven canine training centres in the United States, and housed locally in their dedicated kennel in Hong Kong.
Guillaume Halleux, chief officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said: 'We recently became the second airline in the world to become IATA CEIV Lithium Batteries certified and we continue to look at ways to improve our methods. The trials with MSA have been very impressive, and our agreement to adopt their services through Hactl marks an important step forward for our brand.'
Hactl chief executive Wilson Kwong said: 'Effective aviation safety and security demand that we leverage every new technology and technique, and this latest move perfectly aligns with Hactl's constant drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of its operations.'
Hactl is already conducting trials with another major operator, and plans to offer the technical detection dog service option to all of its customer carriers.
SeaNews Turkey
The detection service is being provided by leading specialist MSA Security, An Allied Universal Company (MSA), which now operates a team of security experts and sniffer dogs within a dedicated area of Hactl's SuperTerminal 1 facility.
Qatar Airways Cargo and Hactl are the first carrier and cargo handler in Hong Kong to utilise trained sniffer dogs for lithium battery detection.
The dogs are specially-trained to detect specific odours, resulting in their ability to detect lithium batteries, whether they are in loose, palletized or containerized cargo.
In proving trials at Hactl, an MSA dog successfully detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, and even a single power bank, located on pallets containing other general cargo.
MSA dogs are trained at one of the company's eleven canine training centres in the United States, and housed locally in their dedicated kennel in Hong Kong.
Guillaume Halleux, chief officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said: 'We recently became the second airline in the world to become IATA CEIV Lithium Batteries certified and we continue to look at ways to improve our methods. The trials with MSA have been very impressive, and our agreement to adopt their services through Hactl marks an important step forward for our brand.'
Hactl chief executive Wilson Kwong said: 'Effective aviation safety and security demand that we leverage every new technology and technique, and this latest move perfectly aligns with Hactl's constant drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of its operations.'
Hactl is already conducting trials with another major operator, and plans to offer the technical detection dog service option to all of its customer carriers.
SeaNews Turkey
