Aviation security is any security measures that protect the airport premises, aircrafts and people involved in air transport. Due to the fact many people are involved in the air transport and the high susceptibility to sabotage of the air transport, security is a major concern in this industry. With the increased threat of terrorism where air transport is their major target, there is a need to increase passengers and luggage inspection and screening. For this reason, the airport authorities have put in security measures to reduce incidences of aviation crime which may be a threat to the national security. Moreover, although aviation security has been a major issue since its incorporation where many planes have been hijacked, the security in the United States airports has improved significantly since the 911 attack on the Americans by terrorists. The major purpose of aviation security systems is therefore to protect the airport properties such as the aircraft and premises from damage, the passengers as well as the crew members.
Aviation security
There are many criminal activities that the airports as well as the aircrafts are faced with every day. Major crimes which are related to aviation and air transport include aircraft hijacking, passengers or crew assault and destruction of aircraft using explosives. In the past when air transport was not well developed, aviation security was not considered a major international security issue and few resources were pumped into increasing aviation security by the federal government. However, since the 911 terrorist attack on America, the federal government and other international travel agencies considers aviation security as a major concern in air transport and national security. Aviation security is today a top priority in the management of airports and air transport where federal security agencies are involved (Rumerman, n. d).
Many incidences of hijackings and other air transport have faced the United States air transport system since its invention. The first incidence of hijacking occurred in 1930 when an American mail plane was hijacked by the revolutionist from Peru. There were 23 cases of plane hijacking reported between 1947 and 1958. No major crime had happened against the United States airline until 1955 when 44 people were killed when a bomb was placed on a womans luggage by his son. The son wanted to kill the mother so as to benefit from her life assurance policy but he was instead convicted and sentenced to death. Another major incident took place in 1960 involving the national airlines plane where a suicide bomber who had a heavy insurance policy killed all passengers on board. These incidences resulted in demand for passengers luggage inspection on the airports using inspection devices.
The rise in communism in Cuba when Fidel Castro became the president in 1959 increased the number of hijacking incidences as many people tried to escape from the country. At one point, armed guards were deployed in commercial aircrafts by the government to increase security. This was requested by some airline companies and the FBI. A legislature was also signed into law by president J. Kennedy which prescribed capital punishment or a minimum of twenty years in prison incase one was accused of air piracy. In 1968, a fugitive on board a United States plane, DC-8 hijacked the plane and diverted it to Cuba. The years immediately after that incidence saw a very high increase in the number of air planes hijacking. Between 1968 and 1972, a total of 364 hijacking incidences were recorded. By this time, the international community had noted the security threat posed by air piracy and the Tokyo convection which required that all victims of air piracy and the aircraft should be returned promptly had been drafted. In 1970, fifty nations including the United States signed The Hague Convection which was aimed at suppressing air piracy in the world. This convection was approved by the United States senate the following year and classified air piracy as a crime and not a political act as it was taken to be before the convection. All these agreements were strengthened by the Montreal convection in 1973 (Gale, 2008).
In January 1969 alone, eight American planes were hijacked and directed to Cuba. In reaction to this, the Federal Aviation Administration established a unit to oversee mechanisms and policies that can be implemented to deter air piracy. This taskforce came up with a profile which could assist the airport security personnel to detect suspected hijackers. The profile was to be used along with other detection methods such as magnetometer metal detectors. By the end of that year, Eastern Air Lines had adopted the system and in one year period, other four airlines were using the systems. The system was effective to some level but it did not deter the hijackers from committing the crime. The attack by the Arabic terrorist in 1970 which shock all the airlines was enough evidence to convince the authority that the security threat needed stronger interventions. As a result, President Nixon proposed an inclusive program which included the deployment of Federal Marshal in the fight against air piracy.
In 1972, bombs were discovered in a number of airlines in March alone. More incidences of violence attacks on the aircrafts were reported throughout the year which led to the president speeding up rulemaking actions to increase aviation security. With directions from the president, the Federal Aviation Administration passed laws which required all passengers and luggage to be screened at the airport. This was a landmark change towards improvement of aviation security. The laws were supported by signing of the Anti-hijacking Bill in 1974 which authorized universal screening. The laws reduced the number of recorded cases of hijackings significantly.
In 1985, a TWA plane which was headed for Beirut from Athens was hijacked by Lebanese criminals who killed one person in the 14 days ordeal. The rest of the passengers were however rescued safely. There was also an increase in incidence of terrorist attacks in the Middle East. This led the United States government to take firm action to increase aviation security. The enactment of International Security and Development Act was a big boost to the security systems in the airports. The act required that the Federal Air Marshals be involved in all security issues in the airports and be part of the federal aviation administration workforce.
Despite these efforts, criminals have always devised means of evading these security barriers. In 1988, a bomb was loaded into Pan American Flight 103 in the form of a radio cassette in Frankfort, Germany. The bomb exploded over Scotland killing 259 people on board and eleven others as it was flying from London to New York. After this attack, some United States aviation laws went into effect in some European and other countries airports. Some of these laws included the use of X-ray equipment in the detection of dangerous objects and matching the luggage with their owners.
In the last two centuries, the Federal Aviation Administration has sponsored scientific studies in the development of reliable equipments that can be used to detect dangerous items such as bombs or lethal weapons on passengers. FAA has also spent a lot of money in the implementation of policies that would increase aviation security by increasing the effectiveness of the security systems in the airport. More focus has also been directed towards dangerous cargos in commercial planes following the airline accidents in 1996. The Federal Aviation Administration has since banned dangerous cargos in passenger planes. The Federal Government has also allocated several billion dollars to the administration to acquire new security equipments and personnel in the airports as well as improving the existing ones.
The biggest shatter on the United States aviation security system was in September 2001 where thousands of people died as a result of terrorist air attack. Criminals hijacked three planes and crushed them into skyscrapers in the cities and one on the ground. The attack was a wake up call to the aviation security agencies not only in the United States but all over the world. This resulted in laws which are more vigilant being enacted very fast which gave the Federal Government authority to inspect passengers directly other than the airlines using their personnel or contractors to inspect passengers. New department and agencies to coordinate traveling security was also formed after the attack. In 2004, provisions in the law that allow the use of advanced technology in detection of bombs was provided in the terrorism prevention act (Rumerman, n d).
More advanced technology security systems have been implemented in the Americans airports in the recent past. The increased screening of passengers led to long queues in some ports. Due to the demand for more sophisticated security system for detection and registration of passengers, Secure Registered Mail Travel System is being assembled by General Electric which will automate the security system in the airport. The system will use automated scanners, pathogen detectors to detect biological weapons, resonance carpet and a millimeter wave scanner. It will also use finger prints in the verification of passengers details.
Terrorists have been targeting airlines and airports for many years which led to the 911 attack on the Americans. The 911 attack has had a lot of impacts on the American airport and aviation security system more than any other incidence before. Despite the measures to improve security in the air transport, terrorists are finding it very attractive. After the 911 attack, the Transport Security Administration was established and screening of the passengers was done by the federal government officials. The TSA has improved on the vigilant in screening of passengers. Other security measures not aimed at screening the passengers such as heavy presence of police officers within the vicinity of the airport, surveillance using CCTV cameras and an increased collaboration between the federal security personnel and the airline employees on security matters has been observed. This has resulted in an increased security in the airports around the United States (Cutar, 2008).
Many other countries such as Canada as well as several European countries have joined the United States in ensuring there is security in the air transport at the international level. In many countries, the airport authorities have acknowledged the need for improved risk assessment procedures in the airport to eliminate security risk elements. Many screenings aim at separating risky passengers and objects from the rest with an aim of reducing the ability of risky passengers causing harm to other passengers or properties either while in the airport premises or on board. Some of the risk oriented mechanisms applied in major international airports in North America and Europe include high presence of security agents in the airports and its vicinity. Risk management also entails categorizing the passenger into ordinary, low risk and high risk passengers. The low risk passengers are the regular passengers who are either members of a recognized travel program or have security clearance and do not require intensive screening. The high risk passengers are individuals whose security information is not well known by the security agents and the best is to assume they pose a risk and do thorough screening. This group includes passengers in the international security watch list. The ordinary passengers lies between high risk and low risk passengers.
Before the 911 incidence, screening of cargo in major international airports was not risk oriented. However, the trend has since changed although it is not as intensive as the passenger and luggage screening. The equipment required for cargo screening and the delays resulting from intensive cargo screening are the major reasons why risk oriented screening of cargo have not been implemented in many airports. This however creates a loophole for breach of security. The passengers luggages are screened using very expensive and sophisticated machines while the cargo in the same plane may be unscreened. This problem is more pronounced in small airports and therefore the air transport authority should take necessary measures to remove the loophole. Due to the large equipments that are required to screen the large cargos, the airport authorities as well as airlines have objected the proposals for 100 percent screening of cargos.
The screenings of the passengers and their luggage by the federal officials have attracted some ethical issues. The screenings have resulted in long and tiresome queues in some airports leading to delays. The federal official checks the passengers and their luggage as well as prescreening them. The airline officials are also expected to present a list of passengers to the federal officials who compare it with a watch list. The sharing of information about the passengers by the officials has been termed as unethical by some human rights groups. Due to this objection, the Secure Flight Program has been introduced which balances security issues with the right of the passengers (Kaplan, 2006).
Despite the high level of security in major international airports, the small airports are unable to provide the detailed security recommended as a result of increased international crimes. The main challenge is their abilities to attract vast capital to acquire sophisticated security technologies. The federal government as well as the states is more wiling to fund bigger international airport that are able to acquire the expensive technologies. The small airports are therefore unable to acquire equipment to detect explosives or biometric equipment for passengers identity. The surveillance in small airports is also substandard since they are unable to acquire adequate security surveillance equipment such as CCTV. Experienced and more skilled personnel prefer working in bigger airports leaving the small airport with inability to attract adequate security personnel. Therefore, breach of security in small airport is more likely compared to bigger airports. Criminals can easily access the airport due to the poor facilitation. However, the big question in these small airports has always been who is to pay for the increased security surveillance since the number of flight in these airports is low and mainly domestic. Moreover, the small airports receive lower funding compared to bigger airports.
Despite the big financial challenges being faced by small airports, there are opportunities the small airports managements can utilize to improve security in the airports. The airports therefore need to acquire more flexible staff to cut the cost which can then be directed to security improvement. The federal government also needs to realize the new threats due to international crimes and ensure that all airports have the required security apparatus. The larger airports also need to consider the security threat in the air due to inadequate security apparatus in small airports and therefore share their expertise. The small airports feed the big airports with passengers and therefore there should be a collaboration to increase security. Individual businesses that are frequently served by these airports should also give back to the community and assist in acquiring security equipment in these airports. The small airports also unite and send a common message to the government on the need for more funding. By having a common voice, they will be able to push for special considerations by the federal authority in terms of risk assessment and funding which will reduce the load of having to meet similar regulation as the larger airports (Alberta transportation, 2004).
Aviation security in the United States is an important aspect of the national security. As the threat increased, the security systems in the airports have also improved to curb the threat. However, despite the improvement in aviation security towards the end of the 20th century, the system were not able to prevent the 911 attack. This attack brought about numerous changes in air transport to increase security due to increased terrorism threats. However, the small airports are under funded and therefore have inadequate security systems. The airport authorities need to put more emphasis and invest more in cargo screening equipment especially in small airports. These airports are disadvantaged in that they are unable to raise the funds to purchase the expensive and sophisticated security equipments.
Aviation security
There are many criminal activities that the airports as well as the aircrafts are faced with every day. Major crimes which are related to aviation and air transport include aircraft hijacking, passengers or crew assault and destruction of aircraft using explosives. In the past when air transport was not well developed, aviation security was not considered a major international security issue and few resources were pumped into increasing aviation security by the federal government. However, since the 911 terrorist attack on America, the federal government and other international travel agencies considers aviation security as a major concern in air transport and national security. Aviation security is today a top priority in the management of airports and air transport where federal security agencies are involved (Rumerman, n. d).
Many incidences of hijackings and other air transport have faced the United States air transport system since its invention. The first incidence of hijacking occurred in 1930 when an American mail plane was hijacked by the revolutionist from Peru. There were 23 cases of plane hijacking reported between 1947 and 1958. No major crime had happened against the United States airline until 1955 when 44 people were killed when a bomb was placed on a womans luggage by his son. The son wanted to kill the mother so as to benefit from her life assurance policy but he was instead convicted and sentenced to death. Another major incident took place in 1960 involving the national airlines plane where a suicide bomber who had a heavy insurance policy killed all passengers on board. These incidences resulted in demand for passengers luggage inspection on the airports using inspection devices.
The rise in communism in Cuba when Fidel Castro became the president in 1959 increased the number of hijacking incidences as many people tried to escape from the country. At one point, armed guards were deployed in commercial aircrafts by the government to increase security. This was requested by some airline companies and the FBI. A legislature was also signed into law by president J. Kennedy which prescribed capital punishment or a minimum of twenty years in prison incase one was accused of air piracy. In 1968, a fugitive on board a United States plane, DC-8 hijacked the plane and diverted it to Cuba. The years immediately after that incidence saw a very high increase in the number of air planes hijacking. Between 1968 and 1972, a total of 364 hijacking incidences were recorded. By this time, the international community had noted the security threat posed by air piracy and the Tokyo convection which required that all victims of air piracy and the aircraft should be returned promptly had been drafted. In 1970, fifty nations including the United States signed The Hague Convection which was aimed at suppressing air piracy in the world. This convection was approved by the United States senate the following year and classified air piracy as a crime and not a political act as it was taken to be before the convection. All these agreements were strengthened by the Montreal convection in 1973 (Gale, 2008).
In January 1969 alone, eight American planes were hijacked and directed to Cuba. In reaction to this, the Federal Aviation Administration established a unit to oversee mechanisms and policies that can be implemented to deter air piracy. This taskforce came up with a profile which could assist the airport security personnel to detect suspected hijackers. The profile was to be used along with other detection methods such as magnetometer metal detectors. By the end of that year, Eastern Air Lines had adopted the system and in one year period, other four airlines were using the systems. The system was effective to some level but it did not deter the hijackers from committing the crime. The attack by the Arabic terrorist in 1970 which shock all the airlines was enough evidence to convince the authority that the security threat needed stronger interventions. As a result, President Nixon proposed an inclusive program which included the deployment of Federal Marshal in the fight against air piracy.
In 1972, bombs were discovered in a number of airlines in March alone. More incidences of violence attacks on the aircrafts were reported throughout the year which led to the president speeding up rulemaking actions to increase aviation security. With directions from the president, the Federal Aviation Administration passed laws which required all passengers and luggage to be screened at the airport. This was a landmark change towards improvement of aviation security. The laws were supported by signing of the Anti-hijacking Bill in 1974 which authorized universal screening. The laws reduced the number of recorded cases of hijackings significantly.
In 1985, a TWA plane which was headed for Beirut from Athens was hijacked by Lebanese criminals who killed one person in the 14 days ordeal. The rest of the passengers were however rescued safely. There was also an increase in incidence of terrorist attacks in the Middle East. This led the United States government to take firm action to increase aviation security. The enactment of International Security and Development Act was a big boost to the security systems in the airports. The act required that the Federal Air Marshals be involved in all security issues in the airports and be part of the federal aviation administration workforce.
Despite these efforts, criminals have always devised means of evading these security barriers. In 1988, a bomb was loaded into Pan American Flight 103 in the form of a radio cassette in Frankfort, Germany. The bomb exploded over Scotland killing 259 people on board and eleven others as it was flying from London to New York. After this attack, some United States aviation laws went into effect in some European and other countries airports. Some of these laws included the use of X-ray equipment in the detection of dangerous objects and matching the luggage with their owners.
In the last two centuries, the Federal Aviation Administration has sponsored scientific studies in the development of reliable equipments that can be used to detect dangerous items such as bombs or lethal weapons on passengers. FAA has also spent a lot of money in the implementation of policies that would increase aviation security by increasing the effectiveness of the security systems in the airport. More focus has also been directed towards dangerous cargos in commercial planes following the airline accidents in 1996. The Federal Aviation Administration has since banned dangerous cargos in passenger planes. The Federal Government has also allocated several billion dollars to the administration to acquire new security equipments and personnel in the airports as well as improving the existing ones.
The biggest shatter on the United States aviation security system was in September 2001 where thousands of people died as a result of terrorist air attack. Criminals hijacked three planes and crushed them into skyscrapers in the cities and one on the ground. The attack was a wake up call to the aviation security agencies not only in the United States but all over the world. This resulted in laws which are more vigilant being enacted very fast which gave the Federal Government authority to inspect passengers directly other than the airlines using their personnel or contractors to inspect passengers. New department and agencies to coordinate traveling security was also formed after the attack. In 2004, provisions in the law that allow the use of advanced technology in detection of bombs was provided in the terrorism prevention act (Rumerman, n d).
More advanced technology security systems have been implemented in the Americans airports in the recent past. The increased screening of passengers led to long queues in some ports. Due to the demand for more sophisticated security system for detection and registration of passengers, Secure Registered Mail Travel System is being assembled by General Electric which will automate the security system in the airport. The system will use automated scanners, pathogen detectors to detect biological weapons, resonance carpet and a millimeter wave scanner. It will also use finger prints in the verification of passengers details.
Terrorists have been targeting airlines and airports for many years which led to the 911 attack on the Americans. The 911 attack has had a lot of impacts on the American airport and aviation security system more than any other incidence before. Despite the measures to improve security in the air transport, terrorists are finding it very attractive. After the 911 attack, the Transport Security Administration was established and screening of the passengers was done by the federal government officials. The TSA has improved on the vigilant in screening of passengers. Other security measures not aimed at screening the passengers such as heavy presence of police officers within the vicinity of the airport, surveillance using CCTV cameras and an increased collaboration between the federal security personnel and the airline employees on security matters has been observed. This has resulted in an increased security in the airports around the United States (Cutar, 2008).
Many other countries such as Canada as well as several European countries have joined the United States in ensuring there is security in the air transport at the international level. In many countries, the airport authorities have acknowledged the need for improved risk assessment procedures in the airport to eliminate security risk elements. Many screenings aim at separating risky passengers and objects from the rest with an aim of reducing the ability of risky passengers causing harm to other passengers or properties either while in the airport premises or on board. Some of the risk oriented mechanisms applied in major international airports in North America and Europe include high presence of security agents in the airports and its vicinity. Risk management also entails categorizing the passenger into ordinary, low risk and high risk passengers. The low risk passengers are the regular passengers who are either members of a recognized travel program or have security clearance and do not require intensive screening. The high risk passengers are individuals whose security information is not well known by the security agents and the best is to assume they pose a risk and do thorough screening. This group includes passengers in the international security watch list. The ordinary passengers lies between high risk and low risk passengers.
Before the 911 incidence, screening of cargo in major international airports was not risk oriented. However, the trend has since changed although it is not as intensive as the passenger and luggage screening. The equipment required for cargo screening and the delays resulting from intensive cargo screening are the major reasons why risk oriented screening of cargo have not been implemented in many airports. This however creates a loophole for breach of security. The passengers luggages are screened using very expensive and sophisticated machines while the cargo in the same plane may be unscreened. This problem is more pronounced in small airports and therefore the air transport authority should take necessary measures to remove the loophole. Due to the large equipments that are required to screen the large cargos, the airport authorities as well as airlines have objected the proposals for 100 percent screening of cargos.
The screenings of the passengers and their luggage by the federal officials have attracted some ethical issues. The screenings have resulted in long and tiresome queues in some airports leading to delays. The federal official checks the passengers and their luggage as well as prescreening them. The airline officials are also expected to present a list of passengers to the federal officials who compare it with a watch list. The sharing of information about the passengers by the officials has been termed as unethical by some human rights groups. Due to this objection, the Secure Flight Program has been introduced which balances security issues with the right of the passengers (Kaplan, 2006).
Despite the high level of security in major international airports, the small airports are unable to provide the detailed security recommended as a result of increased international crimes. The main challenge is their abilities to attract vast capital to acquire sophisticated security technologies. The federal government as well as the states is more wiling to fund bigger international airport that are able to acquire the expensive technologies. The small airports are therefore unable to acquire equipment to detect explosives or biometric equipment for passengers identity. The surveillance in small airports is also substandard since they are unable to acquire adequate security surveillance equipment such as CCTV. Experienced and more skilled personnel prefer working in bigger airports leaving the small airport with inability to attract adequate security personnel. Therefore, breach of security in small airport is more likely compared to bigger airports. Criminals can easily access the airport due to the poor facilitation. However, the big question in these small airports has always been who is to pay for the increased security surveillance since the number of flight in these airports is low and mainly domestic. Moreover, the small airports receive lower funding compared to bigger airports.
Despite the big financial challenges being faced by small airports, there are opportunities the small airports managements can utilize to improve security in the airports. The airports therefore need to acquire more flexible staff to cut the cost which can then be directed to security improvement. The federal government also needs to realize the new threats due to international crimes and ensure that all airports have the required security apparatus. The larger airports also need to consider the security threat in the air due to inadequate security apparatus in small airports and therefore share their expertise. The small airports feed the big airports with passengers and therefore there should be a collaboration to increase security. Individual businesses that are frequently served by these airports should also give back to the community and assist in acquiring security equipment in these airports. The small airports also unite and send a common message to the government on the need for more funding. By having a common voice, they will be able to push for special considerations by the federal authority in terms of risk assessment and funding which will reduce the load of having to meet similar regulation as the larger airports (Alberta transportation, 2004).
Aviation security in the United States is an important aspect of the national security. As the threat increased, the security systems in the airports have also improved to curb the threat. However, despite the improvement in aviation security towards the end of the 20th century, the system were not able to prevent the 911 attack. This attack brought about numerous changes in air transport to increase security due to increased terrorism threats. However, the small airports are under funded and therefore have inadequate security systems. The airport authorities need to put more emphasis and invest more in cargo screening equipment especially in small airports. These airports are disadvantaged in that they are unable to raise the funds to purchase the expensive and sophisticated security equipments.
No comments:
Post a Comment