VCHS
The Valuable Cargo Handling System (VCHS) is the end-to-end secure workflow for moving high-value and sensitive shipments — from cargo receipt at origin, through ground handling and customs, onto the aircraft, and to final delivery. It wraps the whole journey in restricted access, chain-of-custody documentation, dual-control sign-offs, sealed and vaulted storage, a continuous video evidence trail, and audit-ready reporting.
VCHS-classified cargo includes precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), diamonds, jewellery and precious stones, banknotes and currency, diplomatic mail, fine art, controlled pharmaceuticals and chemicals, weapons, and high-value electronics. Airlines and insurers require VCHS processes for any shipment above a value threshold (often US$50,000+).
A full VCHS operation goes well beyond terminal storage. It covers restricted acceptance and screening, police clearance and armed escort, integrated on-site customs and import/export clearance, secure vaulting, and tarmac escorts — the exclusive authorisation to move valuables directly between the aircraft and a secure facility, the single highest-risk moment in the chain.
Compliance with VCHS is mandatory for IATA-recognised airlines and is governed by IATA's Valuable Cargo Handling Procedures. Failure to follow VCHS protocols can void cargo insurance.
VCHS is the secure-handling regime for cargo where a single loss is catastrophic — gold, diamonds, currency, diplomatic mail, controlled pharma. The risk is highest not in the vault but in motion: the transfer between the secure facility and the aircraft. Restricted access, dual control, police-cleared escorts, on-site customs and an unbroken video/audit trail are not optional — a lapse anywhere can void the cargo insurance entirely, so the whole source-to-delivery custody must be managed as one system.
acceptance
customs clearance
dual control
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What cargo needs VCHS handling?
High-value and sensitive shipments — precious metals, diamonds and jewellery, banknotes and currency, diplomatic mail, fine art, controlled pharmaceuticals and high-value electronics — typically above an airline/insurer value threshold.
What is a tarmac escort?
A tarmac escort is the exclusive, authorised transfer of valuables directly between the aircraft and a secure facility, under armed / police-cleared supervision. It is the most exposed moment in the chain, so it is tightly controlled, timed and recorded.
What happens if VCHS procedures are not followed?
The cargo insurance can be voided. Airlines and insurers require documented VCHS chain-of-custody handling end to end, so a lapse anywhere — acceptance, customs, vaulting or the tarmac transfer — can leave a loss uninsured.
Can software manage valuable cargo handling end to end?
Yes. A dedicated valuable-cargo module manages the full chain — restricted acceptance, chain-of-custody, on-site customs and police clearance, secure vaulting, tarmac escorts and audit-ready reporting — as one system. WHIZCargo includes a dedicated VCHS module built for exactly this, a capability few cargo platforms offer.