• Cathay Cargo has announced the introduction of AI-assisted screening to bolster its compliance mechanisms for customers and frontline teams.
• The screening so far has indicated a more nuanced approach than more simplified keyword matching, and checks shipment information against the relevant trade-control requirements that could affect it.
• This news comes following IATA’s white paper, which while more specific to dangerous goods, has called for a multi-layered approach to screening, with more emphasis on the entire journey from shipper to carrier.

Cathay Cargo (Cathay) has announced the introduction of AI-assisted screening to bolster its compliance capabilities for customers, by giving them greater visibility of permit obligations. This in turn enables frontline team to have access to more enhanced insights to allow for more efficient follow-up processes.

The assisted capability applies AI-assisted language analysis to check inputted shipment information against relevant trade-control requirements, then interpreting goods descriptions beyond simple keyword matching.

Shippers will still be responsible for providing accurate declarations but the additional check goes further to check compliance early in the process. This aims to facilitate more seamless shipment journeys and reduce the risk of delays or disruptions en route.

“As global trade requirements continue to evolve, what customers value most is certainty, knowing that obligations are identified before a shipment moves, not after. Leveraging this new AI-assisted screening and clearer operational context for our frontline teams, Cathay Cargo is strengthening our ability to identify potential compliance requirements earlier, keep information accurate throughout the shipment journey, and facilitate safe, reliable and responsible cargo movement,” said Dominic Perret, Director Cargo at Cathay Cargo.

This news comes as IATA called for a multi-layered approach to screening last month, with a white paper detailing how more emphasis needed to be placed on the entirety of the cargo screening process for dangerous goods, from shipper to carrier.

Cathay’s new initiative was born from a longstanding collaboration with customs authorities, regulators and industry stakeholders to incorporate evolving trade requirements and safeguard legitimate trade flows.

Unlike traditional keyword-based checks, the AI-assisted capability is designed to better understand the context of shipment descriptions and match them against relevant control-list requirements. This provides an additional layer of digital decision support to improve screening consistency, while human oversight remains an integral part of the process.

The redesigned frontline display, which presents relevant screening information in a clearer and more user-friendly format. This enables operational teams to see why a shipment has been flagged and what follow-up action may be required all in one place. The results so far have indicated more timely alert handling, with frontline teams better equipped to prioritise follow-up accurately before a shipment moves through the network.

“Through digital innovation and AI, Cathay Cargo continues to set the new industry standards that will shape the future of air cargo. The value of this enhancement is in how dense regulatory requirements are made clearer and more actionable for our people. Pairing digital intelligence with operational expertise creates better outcomes for customers, regulators and the wider air cargo community. We will continue to enhance the capability through operational feedback and compliance reviews,” added Perret.

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