Don't miss our holiday offer - up to 50% OFF!

Explore Shop

CBP opens first airside examination station at DFW

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened the nation’s first airside centralized examination station at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to boost efficiency and security for handling a burgeoning number of international e-commerce and cross-border shipments. 

(Courtesy/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Direct access to cargo terminals at the airport (DFW) reduces transfer times and the number of people handling shipments, a DFW spokesperson told Air Cargo Next.  

DFW handled 16,000 international e-commerce shipments in 2020. It has already processed more than 23 million shipments this year, illustrating a need for added security, the spokesperson said. 

“Prior to the CES [centralized examination station], customs officers and agriculture specialists had to travel to multiple locations to conduct examinations,” Jayson Ahern, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Dallas area port director, told Air Cargo Next. “Now the cargo shipments held for exam are brought to the CES. This allows for much greater efficiency in our efforts to examine and clear cargo.” 

Dnata will operate the CES at DFW. CBP will also open a non-airside CES at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), operated by Worldwide Flight Services, in the first quarter of 2025. 
E-commerce growth 
U.S. lawmakers and supply chain industry leaders have increasingly scrutinized e-commerce shipments, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, in response to drastic market growth, including some illicit shipments containing drugs and other contraband, according to CBP. 

“With CBP officers on site, the CES ensures faster inspections and optimal use of CBP resources,” an Aug. 14 DFW release stated. “Additionally, it features the latest non-intrusive inspection technology to expedite cargo exams, streamlining the overall package clearance process at DFW and ultimately speeding up delivery of imported goods to recipients in the North Texas region and beyond.” 

Retail e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 increased 7.5% to $285.2 million from Q4 2022 and total sales increased 28.18% year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Already this year, global e-commerce accounts for 20% to 30% of air cargo, Brandon Fried, executive director at the Airforwarders Association, previously told Air Cargo Next. 

In the DFW release, Ahern said, “By expediting the commercial flow of legitimate goods, this innovative centralized examination station has proven to be an economic stimulus to the region.  

“CBP has assigned officers, agriculture specialists and supervisors to this facility and, since its inception, we have seen greater speed and efficiency in clearing cross-border e-commerce and imports targeted for inspection,” he said. “For the American consumer, it means their products make it to their doorstep faster and safer.” 

CBP officials hope the DFW examination station will serve as a model for other airside examination stations, Ahern said. 

DFW is No. 34 on Air Cargo Next’s list of top 50 cargo airports with a throughput of 818,933 cargo tonnes in 2022. 

CBP opens first airside examination station at DFW

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened the nation’s first airside centralized examination station at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to boost efficiency and security for handling a burgeoning number of international e-commerce and cross-border shipments. 

(Courtesy/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Direct access to cargo terminals at the airport (DFW) reduces transfer times and the number of people handling shipments, a DFW spokesperson told Air Cargo Next.  

DFW handled 16,000 international e-commerce shipments in 2020. It has already processed more than 23 million shipments this year, illustrating a need for added security, the spokesperson said. 

“Prior to the CES [centralized examination station], customs officers and agriculture specialists had to travel to multiple locations to conduct examinations,” Jayson Ahern, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Dallas area port director, told Air Cargo Next. “Now the cargo shipments held for exam are brought to the CES. This allows for much greater efficiency in our efforts to examine and clear cargo.” 

Dnata will operate the CES at DFW. CBP will also open a non-airside CES at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), operated by Worldwide Flight Services, in the first quarter of 2025. 
E-commerce growth 
U.S. lawmakers and supply chain industry leaders have increasingly scrutinized e-commerce shipments, particularly from Chinese manufacturers, in response to drastic market growth, including some illicit shipments containing drugs and other contraband, according to CBP. 

“With CBP officers on site, the CES ensures faster inspections and optimal use of CBP resources,” an Aug. 14 DFW release stated. “Additionally, it features the latest non-intrusive inspection technology to expedite cargo exams, streamlining the overall package clearance process at DFW and ultimately speeding up delivery of imported goods to recipients in the North Texas region and beyond.” 

Retail e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter of 2023 increased 7.5% to $285.2 million from Q4 2022 and total sales increased 28.18% year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Already this year, global e-commerce accounts for 20% to 30% of air cargo, Brandon Fried, executive director at the Airforwarders Association, previously told Air Cargo Next. 

In the DFW release, Ahern said, “By expediting the commercial flow of legitimate goods, this innovative centralized examination station has proven to be an economic stimulus to the region.  

“CBP has assigned officers, agriculture specialists and supervisors to this facility and, since its inception, we have seen greater speed and efficiency in clearing cross-border e-commerce and imports targeted for inspection,” he said. “For the American consumer, it means their products make it to their doorstep faster and safer.” 

CBP officials hope the DFW examination station will serve as a model for other airside examination stations, Ahern said. 

DFW is No. 34 on Air Cargo Next’s list of top 50 cargo airports with a throughput of 818,933 cargo tonnes in 2022.