SAME DAY DELIVERIES
Zurich airport is about 5 hrs from the refineries with little traffic. The acceptance time at airlines is about 4-6h before the scheduled departure. Loading must be done without delay by 08.00 hrs. The refineries must be informed in advance and agree to the shipment. No trucks will be organized without their consent.
To arrange for a dedicated truck, the order must be sent at least 48 hours in advance and cancelled by 12:00 noon the day before the scheduled pickup.
DEFINITION OF “KNOWN SHIPPER” AND “REGULATED AGENT”.
A Known Shipper, ships air cargo on its own behalf and for its own account. A Known Consignor (KC) is approved by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). Regulated Agents (RA) are companies that forward or transport goods within the secure air cargo chain.
Source: https://www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/flugbetrieb/security-measures.html
DEFINITION OF “DARK ALERT”
Since March 2022, all airports in Switzerland are tightening the so-called “dark alert” procedure, based on FOCA regulations, to allow for the highest security when loading cargo. Airlines accept cargo items if the required security check has been performed according to the regulations. In case of an unknown shipper, the dark alert is always given.
DARK ALERT IN CASE OF “UNSAFE LOAD” (UNKNOWN SHIPPER)
After the alarm is triggered, the handling agent (Cargologic/Dnata) must contact Helveticor to personally inspect the package. This leads to additional costs and delays. Helveticor duly invoices these costs to the client.
GOODS IN TRANSIT
When goods are shipped from a known consignor (e.g. refineries or bank), the goods are then stored in a warehouse of a regulated agent (e.g. Helveticor), the goods remain secure. The original packaging must not be altered by the RA. Overpacking” is permitted, but the original packaging must remain.
Examples:
| Dark alert | |
| Collection from an unknown consignor -> Storage with a regulated agent -> Delivery to the airport for export |  |
| Collection from an unknown consignor -> Repackaging by a regulated agent -> Delivery to the airport for export | |
| Collection from an unknown consignor -> Storage in original packaging with a regulated agent -> Delivery to the airport for export |  |
Final Disclaimer:
This factsheet focuses on shipments from refineries to the airport, however, the dark alert procedure applies to all export shipments in Switzerland. Furthermore, Helveticor has no influence on the outcome and procedure of the dark alert.
