Security - Articles and news items

Nashville International Airport Aces Annual FAA Inspection

Airport news / 23 March 2010 /

Underscoring its commitment to passenger safety and security, Nashville International Airport received perfect marks during the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual air carrier airport certification inspection. (more…)

Ten international airports select L-3 eXaminer explosives detection system

Airport news / 10 November 2009 /

L-3 Security & Detection Systems announced today that its eXaminer® 3DX explosives detection systems (EDS) has been ordered by 10 airports in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In addition, its eXaminer® SX has been ordered by two airports for their reduced size EDS needs. (more…)

Airline baggage and freight – reducing the risks

Issue 5 2009, Past issues / 29 September 2009 /

Recent publicity over the release from custody of the convicted Lockerbie bomber has provided a potent reminder of the continuing importance of airline baggage and freight security. Chris Pinder, British Security Industry Association’s Regional General Manager, looks at some of the current procedures and developments in this vital area.

The security of items carried aboard commercial aircraft combines technology and procedures for inspection and screening in the four categories of hand baggage, luggage checked into the hold, travellers themselves and cargo. The most visible of these measures is, of course, the security checks conducted on all passengers and their hand baggage before they are allowed to board an aircraft. All hand baggage, including items such as coats, handbags, laptop computers, mobile phones and cameras, undergoes x-ray examination before passengers are allowed to enter the departure lounge. In addition, travellers pass through metal detectors or backscatter X-Ray whole body scanners and may be subject to physical search. (more…)

The FBI launches a Biometric Center of Excellence to reach its “Desired Path”

Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 16 July 2009 /

The aviation term “desired path” refers to setting a course and then following clear guidance to reach a specific objective. This simple term seemed fitting for an article about how the FBI’s work in biometrics could also bolster aviation security. Semantics aside, whether you carry a badge, pin a pair of wings to your uniform, or work in the multi-faceted world of aviation, we all share a desired path to protect the flying public when they are in our charge. However, reaching this goal requires each of us to follow a different course.

For the FBI, this course includes applying a variety of biometric technologies from our investigative tool kit. Our journey began with fingerprint identification, then DNA was added, and now other modalities are being explored within the context of privacy laws, policies, and procedures. To ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to the opportunities and challenges that biometrics represent, the FBI established the Biometric Center of Excellence (BCOE) in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The BCOE serves as the focal point for the FBI’s biometric efforts. (more…)

Airport security – CCTV takes off

Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 16 July 2009 /

Advances in technology and increasing risks are driving an unprecedented level of change in security and nowhere more so than in the application of closed-circuit television surveillance systems in the airport environment. John Bates, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), looks at the evolution of the security camera and what it means for the safety of air travel.

Although the security camera now seems so commonplace that it is sometimes hard to remember life without it, the familiar sight of CCTV watching over airports and other public places only began on a significant scale in the late 1980s. Although a handful of successful pilot schemes received widespread publicity, its early growth was restrained by a combination of cost and technical limitations, which the security industry worked hard to overcome with a steady stream of improvements.

The original tube-based monochrome security cameras fell to the more reliable, compact, and relatively maintenance free solid-state colour systems. Then users who had been deterred by the prospect of digging up busy airports and freight terminals to install cable, found they could transmit video images through the air using microwave links between cameras and monitoring centres. Image transmission too, underwent a significant advance for the time with the arrival of fibre optic cable. (more…)

Protecting airport infrastructure

Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 30 May 2008 /

The requirements of security measures and associated procedures to protect the infrastructure of airports are significant and increasingly important. For, in addition to the airlines and other aviation operators using airports, the travelling public, staff, suppliers, contractors and maintenance companies also need to be included in any protective strategy. This article looks at the application of CCTV and access control systems as part of this strategy.

The car bomb attack on Glasgow international airport’s terminal 1 building in late June 2007, involving a vehicle loaded with propane gas cylinders being set alight, is one demonstration of the dangers involved. In that incident, a miscalculation in the attackers driving prevented the vehicle from fully entering the building and prompt action by staff and airport police helped to quickly contain the situation and prevent it escalating. The presence of CCTV cameras also allowed the attack to be recorded and enabled security forces and the fire brigade to be swiftly directed to the scene, while surveillance camera operators monitored the developing situation. Other than the two bombers themselves, no one was injured. (more…)

An interview with Ian Hutcheson, Director of Security at BAA

Issue 1 2008, Past issues / 4 February 2008 /

An interview with BAA’s Director of Security, Ian Hutcheson. (more…)

International airports look to the Segway PT for increased productivity

Issue 5 2007, Past issues / 28 September 2007 /

In January 2004 the Chicago Police Department became one of the first police agencies in the world to use Segway® Personal Transporters (PTs) when they placed a fleet of patrol units into service at O’Hare International Airport. The event was widely covered in national media and the Associated Press quoted Commander Steve Peterson about police use of the Segway PTs: “They’re the best of both worlds, with the mobility of a squad car but the personal contact with citizens of a foot patrol.”

As of August 2007 more than 500 police and security agencies worldwide now use Segway PTs, an increase of 140% since the beginning of the year. This rapid growth has extended to every police and security sector, and to both domestic and international markets. O’Hare and Midway airports still use Segway PTs for security and operations, but now so do 38 other airports around the world, including the major international airports in Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Orlando, and the world’s two largest airports in Chicago and Atlanta. (more…)

Canada’s Restricted Area Identification Card Program

Issue 3 2007, Past issues / 7 June 2007 /

On April 11, 2002, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) was created as a Crown Corporation to assume a more direct role in Canada’s aviation security. One aspect of this new security role was to develop a secure biometric enrolment and identity verification program to prevent unauthorised individuals from gaining access to restricted areas of airports, such as maintenance hangers, refueling stations and baggage ramps.

Prior to CATSA’s formation, all non-passengers requiring access to restricted airport areas were required to present a Restricted Area Pass (RAP). To better fulfill its security mandate, CATSA began working with Transport Canada to replace RAP with a Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) in 2004. This program was designed to enhance security at Canada’s airports with the use of individual biometrics (fingerprints and iris) stored on a secure credential for individuals (non-passengers) accessing restricted airport areas. Under this new program, biometric technology is being incorporated into identification cards to validate the identity of the cardholder attempting to access a restricted area. In addition, a centralised database is used for identity access management to track in real-time the issuance, verification and cancellation of any and all RAIC cards. (more…)

Toronto Pearson International Airport: partners in security

Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /

With the ever-changing aviation industry, security at airports worldwide has been called upon to adapt in preparation of new and rising global threats. At Toronto Pearson International Airport, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) mitigates the risk posed by global and local events by administering a comprehensive security program.

As the operator of Canada’s busiest airport, the GTAA meets and frequently exceeds standards mandated by Transport Canada and other governing bodies. In the decade since assuming responsibility for Toronto Pearson, the GTAA has transformed the business of security from one that was once a department to that of an environment of shared responsibility. All tenants and employees of Toronto Pearson are partners in its security.

Policies and procedures that are in place have been scrutinised to the fullest extent. When the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) announced their intent to assess security programs of member states to ensure compliance with regulations, the federal government requested an audit date earlier than the one identified by ICAO. The request was granted and so confident was the government in the GTAA’s approach to security that Toronto Pearson was selected as the host airport for the audit. (more…)

Trialling large-scale biometric systems

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

Great expectations burden the biometrics industry. It’s difficult to conceive of a future for air travel in which they are not relied upon for security and passenger processing, but the timescale has been hazy. All that may soon change. The UK’s largest biometric trial was recently carried out at Heathrow, testing a system for the processing of all travellers, not only frequent flyers; the future may be a step closer.

Biometric systems have been deployed in a significant number of airports in recent years. These systems have usually been aimed at speeding the processing time at airports for frequent fliers. Many have used iris systems renowned for their accuracy. A particular set of business requirements have driven these schemes. Amongst them has been the recognition that a frequent flyer will only be enrolled on to the system once and may then be checked on many future occasions. Consequently, the time taken to enrol is not a major business requirement. (more…)

Combining RFID and video surveillance

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

The need in major airports to move a large number of people through a complex environment as efficiently and safely as possible is becoming an increasingly challenging task. The volume of flights is growing along with the size of aircraft, and security has, in recent years, become a critical issue. With this in mind, the EU-funded Optag project was launched in 2004 to study the feasibility of a combined RFID tag passenger location and video surveillance system to enhance airport efficiency, safety and security.

The basic concept, illustrated in Figure 1, is for airports to be fitted with a network of combined RFID tag readers and high-resolution panoramic cameras, spaced at around 15-20m intervals, which are used to monitor the movements of people around the terminal building or buildings. Each passenger carries or wears an RFID tag, which can allow location to an accuracy of around 1m, and the video and tag data merged to give a very powerful surveillance capability with a wide range of potential benefits. (more…)

The next step in aviation security

Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /

To counter an ever present, ever shifting threat, aviation security must be a constant work in progress. At San Francisco International Airport, that progress has recently leapt forward.

In August 2005, San Francisco International Airport launched a new Security Operations Center (SOC). With an initial staff of four security analysts, the SOC was established to monitor the Airport through its extensive CCTV network, collect and analyse security-related data and trends, and identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. Co-located with the Airport’s 911 Communications Center, the SOC conducts valuable proactive surveillance, while supporting Communications dispatchers by analysing and relaying essential information regarding specific incidents. The opening of the SOC represented a bold step forward for SFO by bringing together multiple types of security-related data, but it was a natural one for the Airport because of its unparalleled commitment in providing its passengers, tenants and employees with an unsurpassed level of safety and security. (more…)

Biometrics and airport access control

Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 17 March 2006 /

Biometrics has played an important role in efforts to strengthen airport security. Here Alan Medlock outlines how London City Airport has used Biometrics to implement a cost-effective, user-friendly and secure employee identification system.

Following 9/11, the aviation industry faced immediate challenges in identifying and addressing new security issues to make their airports more secure. In addition to increasing the numbers of security officers by nearly 50 per cent, London City Airport focused on how to strengthen security using technology, where appropriate. A system which uses each employee’s unique finger biometric to control access to restricted areas of the airport was chosen. (more…)

Better planning for emergencies

Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 25 November 2005 /

John Goglia reports from his unique perspective on the outcomes of Operation Atlas, the largest drill conducted in the world to date designed to show how airport and security forces cope with a terror attack.

Many of us who have spent more than half a decade in aviation have seen our lives and routines changed dramatically since aviation became a tool for terrorists, who use the visibility of aviation to get the publicity they desperately seek. The years of terrorist activity in the Middle East have clearly demonstrated that innocent lives mean very little to them. However, our passengers do mean a great deal to all of us who call aviation our business and our livelihood. Because of that we go to great lengths to make the travelling experience as safe and enjoyable as possible.

The process that begins from the point of entrance to the airport and completes when an aircraft takes off is a complex and intergraded one. This process is also repeated when the aircraft lands. In order for our passengers to feel safe and comfortable, we must ensure that all the varied efforts in the process occur seamlessly. This is not necessarily an easy task, but it is one that we have been able to master thanks to many years of effort. (more…)