Technological innovation has underpinned the evolution of aviation security over the past 10 years, according to the director of aviation security at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Interviewed by IFSEC Global Peter Drissel also talks about how Heathrow is trying to accelerate and de-stress passengers’ journey through the airport even as it tightens security.
IFSEC Global: How can airports harness cutting-edge technology to counter the terror threat without inconveniencing passengers?
Peter Drissell: Government and industry alike are always seeking to strike an appropriate balance between security and facilitation – between ensuring that the risks to civil aviation posed by acts of terrorism are properly managed, and that the passenger experience is a positive one.
This is not an easy balance to find, and all are conscious of the importance of proportionality, and the need not to do the terrorists’ job for them, by making that experience so difficult as to deter travellers from flying.
The balance is of necessity a dynamic one, as security measures are adjusted to counter terrorist innovations.
A part of how passenger convenience can be given a proper priority lies in the development and deployment of technologies which both address the security risk fully effectively and can be fitted more smoothly into the “journey” the passenger takes, as he or she passes through the airport.
Another part lies in improving the design and organisation of that journey itself, something which industry is pursuing very actively at the present time, evident for example in the security comb arrangements at London Heathrow’s new Terminal 2.
IG: How has aviation security has evolved in the last 10 years?
PD: Aviation security has evolved in very many ways over the past years, and if there is a common theme it lies in the growing emphasis on the role of technology. That in turn reflects a threat which has itself of course grown in sophistication.
The attacks in the USA in September 2001 triggered the emergence of several additions to the counter-measures already then in place, most notably the fitting of reinforced flight deck doors, and the close control exercised over sharp objects being taken into the passenger cabin.
Counter-measures to the threat from shoulder-launched weapons (“MANPADS”) were developed following failed attacks in Kenya at around the same time, and security measures have since been enhanced progressively to address, for example the risks posed by explosives carried in shoes or in liquid form.
Air cargo security too has been stiffened, through the introduction of controls on all cargo entering EU airspace, while arrangements have also been made to counter possible threats on the ground, for example to prevent a vehicle-borne attack of the kind attempted unsuccessfully at Glasgow Airport in 2007.
These enhanced measures have, as noted above, often been made possible through the development and deployment of new technologies, with the appearance at airports in more recent years of scanners for passengers perhaps the most visible example.
Over the same period, the capabilities of existing technological measures, for example walk-through metal detectors and cabin and hold bag screening systems, have also been very greatly enhanced.
Alongside this gathering focus on technology, the years since the attacks of 911 have also seen an emphasis by some States on establishing the identity of passengers ahead of flight, by means of such systems as Passenger Name Recognition and Advanced Passenger Information, for checking against security information held centrally by those States. Other States and airports also make use of behavioural recognition programmes, of various kinds.
Overall then, the past decade or so has seen extraordinary advances in aviation security. This pace and level of ingenuity will need to be maintained, for example in addressing emerging potential vulnerabilities in the cyber sphere, and in the face of the continuing appetite of international terrorism to target civil aviation.
IG: How likely are terrorists to target airports given the high level of security?
PD: Experience indicates that civil aviation has an enduring attraction for the terrorist, one that now dates back some half a century. This will have something to do with the perception of aviation as a (often literally) flag-carrying ambassador, projecting the national presence abroad; and also of course much to do with the serious human harm, and economic and reputational damage, which a “successful” attack, visible worldwide, might cause.
This attraction endures notwithstanding that security measures surrounding civil aviation are considerably more extensive than those able to be used to protect other transport modes, and to protect public spaces generally.
IG: How has the aviation industry learned from its mistakes?
PD: The dynamic nature of aviation security in the face of a capable enemy has been mentioned. An important element of countering the threat lies in learning from experience, and from monitoring security measures for any potential shortfalls in their application.
Industry’s implementation of security measures is assessed closely under arrangements laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and built upon at regional and national levels.
Aviation security regulation is extensive and complex, and an important part of its delivery lies in the hands of individuals, who although carefully trained and supervised, are no more immune to human error than anyone else.
In the UK a “stepped approach” is taken to enforcing the delivery of security measures, with the regulatory response graded according to the seriousness or frequency of whatever is the shortfall identified.
The emphasis is always upon the party concerned being led to understand how its implementation of the measure in question fell short, and the steps needing to be taken to avoid a recurrence. In this way, lessons are learned and industry’s performance of its security obligations is enhanced.
IG: Do you feel the industry doesn’t get the credit it deserves for thwarting terror attacks?
PD: The very considerable and effective work done by the police and security services to counter terrorism and forestall potential attack planning is apparent from any survey of media reporting.
No doubt partly for that good reason, actual attacks, including on civil aviation, are very rare. What of course is – necessarily – unmeasurable is how many potential attacks have been deterred by the comprehensiveness and sophistication of the aviation security measures in place.
IG: Aviation security: Are technological advances reducing reliance on the vigilance of airport security staff?
PD: Technological advances in aviation security have played, and will continue to play, a very important part in securing civil aviation against the terrorist threat.
But these advances do not at all lessen the importance having an informed, well trained and always vigilant staff of airport security operatives.
Aviation security is the sum of all of its components, operating together in a layered approach, each interacting with and to some degree dependent upon the other.
Indeed it goes wider still than that – not just security staff but every aviation stakeholder, from airline and airport CEOs to passengers themselves, have their part to play, as eyes and ears if nothing else, in safeguarding effective aviation security.
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