Security has improved since 9/11
- However, lack of global standards has created an uncoordinated mess
- Regulators need to develop smarter and faster next-generation aviation security measures for airline passengers, industry employees, and the cargo supply chain
- Governments can enhance the effectiveness of aviation security regulations by
- ensuring that they are compatible with infrastructure and business processes
- adapting to emerging threats, expected passenger numbers, and cargo volumes
- Better security can only be achieved by working collaboratively with regulators, airlines, and manufacturers
- IATA and industry stakeholders are working to define risk management standards for security and facilitation by promoting
- measures such as unpredictability and passenger differentiation
- Increased use of technology
- enhancement of existing processes and development of new and innovative processes
Annual Industry Security Costs
- Aviation security is the responsibility of the State
- Yet airlines and their passengers pay US$5.9 billion per year, including:
- $2.4 billion (38%) per year on fraud and theft prevention, audits, emergency planning
- $1.6 billion (27.5%) on passenger operations security
- $1.18 billion (20%) on aircraft protection
Advance Passenger Information
- Advance Passenger Information (API) refers to passenger data (usually biographic information from a passport) transferred from the airline to a government authority
- This is required by many governments for security, immigration and customs purposes.
- The cost of transferring data to authorities is approximately US$14 per flight or more than US$100 million annually.
- International standards and guidelines published by WCO, ICAO and IATA exist for API, but not all regulators will accept the standard format
- Passengers and airlines need governments to harmonize requirements, eliminate duplication and use internationally agreed standards
- New requirements such as real-time, interactive API at check-in are adding to already significant development costs for airlines
- Additionally, an IATA led industry coalition stopped the Department of Homeland Security from ordering airlines to collect fingerprints on departure
- Saving the industry $12.3 billion over 10 years
- The US government is determining how the Transportation Security Administration and/or Customs and Border Protection can collect fingerprints on exit
- IATA is working to ensure that it does not interfere with passenger boarding
Passenger Name Records
- Many governments are also requiring access to Passenger Name Record (reservation) data
- This can contain personal sensitive data, leading to data protection and privacy concerns
- Some bilateral agreements have been reached between the EU, US and other countries on the provision of PNR data to address privacy issues, but this does not address all requirements globally.
- IATA is developing a standard format for PNR data to encourage harmonization and reduce costs
Security Management Systems (SeMS)
- IATA’s SeMS provides airlines with a risk-based framework to create a security culture
- 225 airlines have implemented SeMS
- IATA’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) includes SeMS.
- Regulators are increasingly making SeMS part of national aviation security policy.
- Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Madagascar, Panama, Syria and Turkey have mandated IOSA and the SeMS core elements
Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT)
- Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) Interest Group provides a vision and technology trials aimed at making passenger travel more convenient and secure
- In 2007, the SPT delivered an Ideal Process Flow (IPF) 2.0 that leverages the use of real-time data exchange and biometrics for better passenger identification.
- Trials at London Heathrow (miSense) and Hong Kong (SPEED) showed high levels of acceptance and proved the feasibility of the concept and technology put forward in the IPF
- SPT is encouraging “proof of concept” trials that will move beyond single country systems to bi-lateral and multi-country co-operations
One-Stop Security
- 325 million passengers a year board connecting flights in Asia, Europe, and the United States
- The majority must go through security screening multiple times along their routes, adding time, cost, and inconvenience
- Passengers, baggage and cargo are screened adequately at airport of origin
- No need to be re-screened at connecting airport
- IATA is encouraging governments to recognize each other’s measures to enable one-stop security
- To do that governments need to:
- Receive assurance of adequate screening at point of origin
- Exchange information and improve collaboration
- One-stop security enhances passenger facilitation and reduces costly duplicated measures
- While maintaining security
- One-Stop Security is operating in all of the EU except UK and Ireland, Singapore, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica (all with conditions)
- Could happen soon in EU for 6 million passengers arriving from US each year
Secure Freight
- Regulators, manufacturers and freight forwarders share responsibility with airlines for creating a secure and trusted air cargo supply chain
- IATA plans to enhance supply chain integrity with its Secure Freight program which was launched in 2008
- It aims to secure cargo supply chains by defining, auditing, and registering secure operators that act in conformance with a quality assurance system
- IATA is developing international security accreditation standards and a security audit for supply chain operators in a similar manner to IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operators (ISAGO)
- IATA plans to achieve regulatory recognition and to working collaboratively with ICAO, who have expressed support in principle for the project.
- IATA aims to pilot the audit with supply chain operators during 2009
Updated October 2009