Secure future airports

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What challenges do airport operators face when it comes to securing airports of the future and are too many security processes having a detrimental effect on the passenger experience?

Responding to the threat of terrorism is nothing new for airports. For the past 40 years air transport has been a high-profile target for terrorists.

In a situation like a terrorist attack, a pandemic outbreak or a natural disaster, airports have the support of the police and security forces, health authorities and civil aviation authorities.

The real challenges arise when trying to manage this complex supply chain within an airport security programme, as well as maintaining passenger security as a top priority.

Within the industry the post-September 11th era has seen the balance between the needs of security and the needs of facilitation alter. In the past a piecemeal approach was adopted but this is now being superseded by a more holistic and scientific approach.

Nina Mitchell, assistant director of security and facilitation at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) believes this is due to the industry struggling to sustain different sets of requirements.

"Passenger information is used worldwide for both security and border control purposes. We need good processes and unstressed passengers for good security and without good security we really don't have a business."

"Passenger data processes need collaboration. Authorities need to work with regulators, not against them."

IATA is working to minimise the impact of new regulation but as Mitchell points out, passenger data requirements are changing daily. "As passenger numbers increase airport operators need to step up to the mark to address the needs of those passengers and the new and emerging security threats."

New processes to check passenger information and the unrelenting demand to gather more information has increased dramatically. Biographical data is incorporated within passports, advanced real-time identification technology is widely used and reservations data and visa information is becoming increasingly sought after to such an extent, airport operators are beginning to wonder what is next.

Craig Bradbrook is director of security and facilitation at the Airports Council International (ACI). Bradbrook believes that the increase in security checks could have a detrimental effect on the passenger experience at airports.

"We need to regain some of the pleasure that used to be associated with flying that has now been replaced with queues and weary travellers. For every step forward in customer convenience the industry makes - with self check-in and biometric border crossing for example - these new security provisions seem to take us two steps back. The worldwide harmonisation of the allowance for personal liquid products on flights is a good first goal. There now needs to be agreement by aviation authorities around the world on the ability for passengers to transfer with duty free and other liquids purchased at airports or in flight."

It seems there is a growing realisation that routine passenger screening processes need to be more intelligent. The challenge is to develop screening processes which focus the resources on those passengers that present the greater risk, while not being seen as discriminatory.

The ACI suggests a combination of profiling information about the passenger in advance of travel and behavioural observations of the passenger prior to the screening process. But as Nina Mitchell says, technology on its own does not work.

"It needs to be integrated with the passenger process. There are cultural issues for example, some people don't like an iris picture being taken because it makes them squeamish."

Habib Halabi, chief executive officer at Falcon Eye Technology, suppliers of security and surveillance systems for airports and military sites admits that in many cases he will dissuade airports from using fingerprint and iris detection systems on passengers.

"People find this technology very invasive. It is slow to process the identification data, takes a long time to install and takes up a lot of space."

"Facial recognition is a better option. Using CCTV cameras covers all areas of the airport and it has added features, such as identifying owners of lost baggage or pinpointing any suspicious activity."

Dr. Khaled Al Mazroui, general manager at Fujairah International Airport favours biometric identity recognition systems - computer-driven applications that identify a person from a digital image.

Some 30 biometric security points have been installed in the passenger terminal, which was completed last year.

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