Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has opened a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Centralized Examination Station (CES) on the secure side of the airport.
A national first, with operations usually taking place outside of a secure airfield environment, the setup expedites the direct transfer of cargo from airplanes to the CBP inspection facility, eliminating the need for additional transportation and enhancing efficiency and security. The CES was made possible through a partnership between CBP, DFW Airport and dnata Cargo USA.
The CES features new non-intrusive inspection technology to expedite cargo exams, streamlining the overall package clearance process at DFW.
In fiscal year 2020, DFW Airport processed 16,000 international e-commerce clearances. The airport has seen its e-commerce clearances increase to 20 million packages in 2023. In the first half of 2024, that number has already exceeded 23 million packages.
“We’re just beginning to tap into our immense business potential in cargo, thanks to our location in the center of the country, coupled with our extensive air service network,” said Chris McLaughlin, DFW’s executive vice president of operations. “We thank our partners at CBP for choosing DFW as the first airport in the nation to lean into this new operating model.”
CBP Dallas Area port director Jayson Ahern said the DFW CES will serve as a model for future efforts throughout the USA. “CBP has assigned officers, agriculture specialists, and supervisors to this facility since its inception,” Ahern added. “We have seen greater speed and efficiency in clearing cross-border e-commerce and imports targeted for inspection.”
Read about more planned improvements at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport here.