Securing the future

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How can the region's super-developments protect themselves against the threats to global airfreight volumes?

It is a well-known fact that the Middle East is witnessing unprecedented levels of expansion in almost every sector of aviation.

Not only are passenger numbers and freight volumes the envy of traditional Western economies, but ever-increasing fleets and the construction of gigantic airports regionwide mean that we are witnessing the birth of what politicians and planners are hoping will be the central hub of global aviation in the decades to come.

And it's not hard to see why: abundant liquidity, a strong geographical location and significant space in which to build facilities have generally been complemented by a long-term vision that envisages the region obtaining a lion's share of global traffic in the future.

Whether the Gulf can live up to the ambition of its aviation executives is, of course, subject to a number of key concerns. The region is to a degree insulated by excess liquidity and it is impossible to tell whether recent blips in the local exchanges are down to a combination of the slow summer months and the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, which inevitably means that business processes will take longer to complete. In many respects, there is little that individual companies can do to offset these sorts of fluctuations.

However, another future issue was highlighted at the Dubai Airport Show in June, with many executives fretting about the fact that the new generation of airport mega developments is set to provide challenges to aviation security in the region - with freight being touted as a particular area of concern.

Cargo security is an issue that has been examined in some detail by industry body IATA. The agency has worked closely with organisations such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union, as well as national regulators to produce best practice and assurance systems for the airfreight industry.

"At an operational level, a big threat is the lack of harmonisation across borders, which exist in national air cargo security programmes," says Steven Lott, IATA's head of communications for North America.

"Having different requirements in different countries, some of which are inconsistent, some of which are contradictory, will result in substantial confusion and significant unnecessary cost for stakeholders."

A lack of harmonisation, as indicated by Lott, stems from a lack of communication between countries. Given the inherently global nature of aviation, it is clear that closer ties between airlines, national governments and industry partners is key to warding off future threats.

"We would urge global operators to consider working closely with governments and industry, through existing national mechanisms such the UK's Security and Resilience Industry Suppliers Council (RISC), where they exist, to develop strong public-private collaboration on security matters," argues Hugo Rosemont, a policy adviser on security and resilience for the UK-based Society of British Aerospace Companies Ltd (SBAC), a trade association representing suppliers to all aspects of the British aviation sector.

"Government leadership is essential and industry's input is also critical when delivering the systems and technologies that operators may require to mitigate identified threats."

Rosemont's assertion is one with which the UAE's largest carrier, Emirates, certainly agrees. "Harmonisation - or the development of security controls and communications intended to harmonise regulations and requirements across states - is essential in securing cargo supply chains across the region and globally," explains Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi, Emirates' divisional senior vice president for group security.

"It is perhaps the lack of these measures which is the biggest threat to airfreight, as the chain is only as strong as its weakest links." As a case in point, Al Hashimi is happy to confirm Emirates' very close relationship with Dubai Civil Aviation and Dubai Airport Police, which ensures all cargo leaving Dubai has the appropriate security measures applied.

In addition, the airline also invites external auditors to inspect its systems, enabling it to attain Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) and ISO 9001 accreditation.

However, IATA's Lott disagrees with the suggestion that greater volumes are a hidden scourge for the airfreight sector. "We would disagree that growing volumes change or increase the threat," he argues.

"Our advice is to routinely ensure good throughput planning, thus ensuring that capacity exists to properly handle increased volumes in a timely manner with competent personnel and if bottlenecks are identified, to proactively anticipate and manage them. Sound and practised contingency planning is also essential."

But what are the greatest threats currently facing the industry? It is, of course, difficult to plan for the exact nature of a potential threat, but it seems pertinent to examine those key areas that those wishing to disrupt traffic might wish to target.

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