One of the key issues for our industry is aviation security.
Today’s model is no longer sustainable given the predicted growth in air travel, continuously evolving threats, and passengers becoming increasingly dissatisfied with queues and intrusive measures.
The ACI continues taking a very active role in helping to shape the rules and ensuring that changes in security are communicated to airport authorities. It is committed to working with regulators and industry partners to focus on key issues that have direct consequences for airport operation and design.
The ACI, most recently at ICAO, outlined its long-term vision for aviation security which focuses on more innovative procedures, greater efficiency, and a better passenger experience. We presented three papers to the High-Level Conference on Aviation Security which formulated recommendations on key aviation security priorities, namely: Vision for Aviation Security at Airports, Joint Approach to Border and Aviation Security Threats at Airports and ACI’s Contributions and Updates to the Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP).
The Vision for Aviation Security at Airports, produced in partnership with the IATA, promotes the efforts to identify themes, innovations and developments that will affect airport security in the long term. As passenger numbers grow, airports simply cannot keep creating more space and adding more and longer queues to accommodate more layers of screening measures.
We need to find ways of being smarter about security and recognize that there is not one solution for all airports. All airports and aviation stakeholders must work together to ensure innovative and integrated solutions are in line with regulatory requirements and are tailored to the unique conditions and facilities of the airport. In the future, it is expected that interactions with staff at airports will be centred on customer friendly tasks while machines will perform most screening activities. Security screening will be based on risk assessments and advanced screening technologies that allow for effective and efficient detection of a greater range of threats in an ever-evolving threat environment.
The ACI is committed to take a leading role on the Smart Security programme following years of fruitful partnership on the programme with IATA. The programme has delivered positive change in the effectiveness, efficiency and customer experience of primary passenger screening checkpoints. We look forward to leading this project as its second wave continues to develop detailed guidance on emerging technologies and processes.
Angela Gittens
Director General, ACI World