Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met Wednesday with the heads of major air cargo companies to reiterate the importance of partnering with industry to enhance security without disrupting trade.
Napolitano, along with Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, met with top officials from FedEx, UPS, TNT, DHL and heavyweight freighter operator Atlas Air, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Early last month, just days after the foiled terrorist attempt on Oct. 28 to smuggle explosive devices from Yemen in regular shipments onboard freighter aircraft bound for the United States, Napolitano phoned chief executives of large air freight delivery companies, including the four express delivery carriers, to discuss ways to carefully step up security. The explosives from Yemen were discovered on a UPS plane in England and at a FedEx facility in Dubai
The secretary stressed her support for efforts to develop a system for capturing early shipment data so the government can analyze it and determine whether it is safe to load on an aircraft.