International Airport Review
In partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo and ground handler Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd, an extra layer of security has been added to the airline’s ex-Hong Kong flights. Using technical detection dogs, lithium batteries will be sniffed out in air cargos.
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 carrier’s decision to use dogs rather than traditional X-ray detection alone was due to the difficulty of reliably identifying lithium batteries via X-ray images, particularly for e-commerce shipments containing multiple types of product in small packages.
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. Further dogs are constantly being trained, and can be made available at short notice in the event of increased demand.
