Global K9 (GK9) is urging the UK government to modernise its cargo screening regulations, arguing that outdated rules are creating unnecessary costs, additional carbon emissions and avoidable inefficiencies across the aerospace supply chain.
Speaking at the Multimodal 2026 exhibition in Birmingham, Chris Daniels, Chief Commercial Officer at Global K9, explained that certified canine screening teams in the UK are still not authorised to inspect aircraft engines. As a result, these shipments are regularly transported by road to airports such as Liège and Brussels, where European regulations allow canine screening.
Once screened in Europe, the cargo is recognised as compliant and can then be transported back into the UK. According to Daniels, this process creates unnecessary transport movements, increases operational costs and adds avoidable delays to the logistics chain.
“Aerospace cargo in the UK currently goes on a costly and polluting detour,” Daniels said. “Canine screening for aircraft engines is already accepted in other countries and supported by experienced screening providers. Regulation now needs to reflect what is operationally possible while continuing to maintain the highest safety standards.”
Global K9 expanded its European operations in December 2024 and now operates across the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. Its Free Running Explosive Detection Dogs (FREDDs) are currently deployed at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Aberdeen airports.
The company also has significant experience in the United States, where it works alongside the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on canine cargo screening regulations. Global K9 became the first organisation to operate a TSA-approved Certified Cargo Screening Facility–K9 (CCSF-K9).
Daniels believes updating UK regulations would eliminate unnecessary cross-border trucking, reduce logistics costs for exporters, lower carbon emissions and improve the competitiveness of the UK’s air cargo industry by allowing more security screening to be completed domestically.
