The heightened security measures for passengers and crews at airports have become cumbersome and do represent a big challenge for the aviation business’ expansion. However, new threats keep emerging: we are facing record levels of laser attacks and cyber threats are lurking behind the corner. Aviation industry is changing. And so are the needs of the aviation security regimes. In a newly released publication, ECA maps out the key areas of aviation security for today and tomorrow as well as the pilots’ perspective on reshaping security in our sector.
“Secure Skies” is the result of the operational experience of airline pilots and their close involvement in the work carried out by ICAO, the EU, National Authorities and aviation stakeholders. In this publication ECA provides the pilots’ perspective on how security and facilitation are currently handled and why a different way of thinking and approaching aviation security is needed to address the current air traffic growth in Europe.
The world has seen the exponential growth of additional measures for crews and passenger alike: screenings, including the use of metal detectors, canine brigades, explosive trace detectors but also body, shoe, liquids and luggage scanners. The introduction of additional multiple layers has progressively rendered the whole aviation security system cumbersome. Its usefulness however, has not been improved while the related cost has increased exponentially.
Moving from a reactive perspective to a more proactive and predictive one, integrating threat assessment, risk management, differentiation, unpredictability & randomness at security screening becomes essential. The aim is to ensure better security while allowing the majority of passengers who do not pose a threat to receive a speedy and efficient screening.
But beyond that, there is a need to go back to basics and ask the question: “If we build the entire security system from scratch, how would it look like?”
As “Secure Skies” argues, the entire system needs a reboot. Read more in the publication.
