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IATA pushes for standard practice
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments to seek a harmonised approach to airline security and passenger data handling.
IATA's director general and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani (pictured), was pleased to learn that the Council of the European Union is set to begin negotiations with the US, in a bid to reach an agreement on the use of passenger data, before the existing interim agreement expires on July 31.
"Security along with safety is our top priority," he said.
"Airline security has improved tremendously since 2001. And we are committed to working with governments to make it even better. But we cannot do that without a harmonised approach by governments."
The talks aim to reach an agreement striking a balance between giving law enforcement agencies sufficient access to passenger data in order to maintain high levels of security and protecting passengers' right to privacy.
Passenger data protection is a key issue for SITA, the global provider of IT business solutions and communications services to the air transport industry.
According to Matthew Finn, director of government and security solutions, SITA, recommended practices as to how governments should access passenger name records (PNR) already exist but large and powerful governments "often feel empowered to make a slight modification to that standard".
"We talk about effectively promoting a standard that governments can use to meet their security requirements that the airlines can also meet within their operational and financial restraints," he explained.
"Regrettably it does [vary hugely from country to country], and that is part of the challenge."
But new negotiations could lead to a long-term solution to the way passenger data is handled, and set a benchmark for other governments to follow, he added.
According to Bisignani, more than 105,000 passengers travel between the US and Europe every day.
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