From airport vault to central bank: How Ava manages cross-border handover risks

Every transfer of high-value assets is a test of precision, but few moments are as critical as the journey from airport vaults to central banks. In these transitional windows, where multiple authorities, handlers, and jurisdictions converge, the integrity of an entire supply chain can be won or lost.

Navigating these moments requires careful coordination, clear protocols, and a strong culture of accountability — all essential to ensuring that valuable assets remain secure from start to finish.

Why airport-to-bank transfers are a high-risk stage

At the airport, goods are under the jurisdiction of aviation and customs authorities, secured within bonded vaults. Once cleared, however, the assets enter ground transfer, a phase involving external carriers, customs agencies, and national security escorts before arriving at the central bank or destination vault.

Even this brief journey involves a complex set of risks:

• Multiple handovers: each introducing potential for communication gaps or documentation errors
• Jurisdictional overlaps: varying custody and verification requirements across borders
• Environmental unpredictability: congested airports, public routes, and heightened visibility increase exposure

In this narrow window, clarity of custody and communication are everything. Knowing who holds control at every moment and how accountability is documented is fundamental to preserving asset integrity.

Understanding this risk phase helps institutions assess the true resilience of their logistics partners, not just in transport but in transition.

Ava mitigates airport-to-vault exposure by minimising dwell time during handover phases and working exclusively with pre-vetted ground handlers and security providers. These partners are selected based on location-specific risk profiles and operate under documented SOPs that define custody responsibility at each transfer point.

Insider threats, chain-of-custody breaks, and regulatory mismatches

Even the strongest infrastructure cannot remove human risk. Insider threats, from compromised staff to unauthorised access, remain among the top concerns in global logistics. Chain-of-custody breaks are equally critical, particularly when handovers cross national lines with differing documentation standards.

Regulatory mismatches can compound this. What is acceptable under one authority may breach AML, KYC, or transport regulations under another.

Best practice includes:

• Enforcing dual-control protocols at every handover point
• Using tamper-evident seals and synchronised timestamp tracking
• Conducting multi-jurisdictional compliance reviews before departure

The role of secure documentation and controlled custody

Every movement, inspection, and delay must be recorded with zero gaps. Controlled custody documentation forms the legal and operational backbone of secure transfers, detailing each signature, timestamp, and location along the route.

When documentation falters, insurers can reject claims, and clients lose visibility over liability. Complete, tamper-proof records are what transform complex movements into auditable, insurable transactions.

For financial institutions, verified documentation reduces both regulatory exposure and insurance risk.

Protocols and partner vetting

An airport-to-bank transfer is only as secure as its weakest partner. Every ground handler, security provider, and customs intermediary represents a potential point of failure, making stringent vetting non-negotiable.

Our asset-light model enhances resilience by allowing the company to select the most secure partners, guided by current country risk ratings rather than fixed infrastructure. This flexibility keeps movements running smoothly, even when geopolitical or operational conditions change.

How clients gain assurance through proven risk management

For clients, especially those in the financial, energy, and government sectors, assurance goes far beyond insurance. It’s built on visibility, governance, and the confidence that escalation paths exist before they’re needed.

Through layered oversight, defined escalation channels, and direct access to its Risk Management Team, Ava provides measurable confidence that every handover, from airside to vault, aligns with operational, regulatory, and security standards.

For institutions managing global assets, assurance is the ability to see, verify, and trust in every controlled transition.

Taking charge of control

The airport vault-to-central bank corridor represents one of the most tightly controlled yet inherently fragile links in the global value chain. It’s where precision meets trust — and where only organisations with embedded risk intelligence, disciplined processes, and dynamic partnerships can operate with consistent assurance.

For banks, governments, and financial institutions managing cross-border transfers of cash, bullion, or other high-value assets, understanding how risk is controlled between air and ground is essential.

Ava is your trusted guide through the shifting logistics landscape. We cover six continents, with regional offices in major cities across the globe. To learn more about Ava’s custody standards or to discuss tailored risk frameworks, contact our team.