Green Light Authored Articles & Interviews in ASI

Dr. Abdulla Al Hashimi is the Senior Vice President for Emirates Group Security who has strived to create a pro-active, risk based security regime to protect one of the world’s most prestigious carriers and to serve as an example of industry best practice. Philip Baum asks Dr Al Hashimi for his thoughts on the threats of today, the challenges of tomorrow and for his views on the steps which can, and are, being taken to ensure a safe and secure aviation industry.

Considerable effort and expense has gone into ensuring that all those who go through airport security checkpoints are screened efficiently. Given the industry’s focus on the search for prohibited items which might be utilised in an attack against an aircraft in-flight, it is surprising that so many of the measures taken are performed a fair distance away from the target itself. It took the events of 11th September 2001 for us to recognise the vulnerability of the cockpit to intruders and it was only as a result of the apparent loss of MH370 last year that spurred us on to actually trying to validate who was on board any flight. So why do we not focus on the aircraft itself and ensure that it is effectively screened, especially in light of the huge concern over the insider threat where somebody who has airside access could infiltrate something into the fuselage. Philip Baum travels to Romania to find out whether we could even X-ray aircraft themselves…and he encounters the Roboscan AERIA.

The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on 17th July was a tragedy. Naturally, if it is indeed proven that an anti-aircraft missile brought the aircraft down, those who fired the shot bear responsibility. However, the aviation industry must also ask itself the question as to whether it could have taken action to ensure that commercial flights did not operate over eastern Ukraine. Lucy Rawlings investigates the role of the airline, the State and international bodies, such as ICAO, EASA and Eurocontrol, in determining when aircraft should not operate over conflict zones. And, in conclusion, she considers some of the other volatile areas of the world where it may well be advisable to classify air space as being 'no-fly zones'.

Four weeks have elapsed since the ‘loss’ of MH 370 and one of the greatest mysteries of the modern age continues to fascinate people around the globe, perplex aviation industry professionals and traumatise the families of the passengers and crew on board. Everybody seems to have their theory as, after all, airliners simply do not just fall out of the sky. Whilst this incident may indeed turn out to be a failure of the aircraft itself, or have been instigated due to a fire as a result of goods carried in air cargo, Philip Baum evaluates the viability of each of the criminal acts of interference that might have brought about the disappearance of MH370 and considers the security lessons already learned.

The big debate in the aviation security industry today is the question of which is better: behaviour-based security or databased security? The answer, of course, is that both are critical. The limitation of this argument is that data-based security is neither defined nor standardised. Delving into this data-based security issue begs a myriad of questions that are difficult for a carrier to answer, such as: Can data alone provide operational security? Can data be transformed into information that is actionable? How will this work? What are the requirements? Is there regulatory value? The deeper we dive the more questions arise. Philip Baum explores one carrier’s initial step into the foray of databased security for aviation and explains how the carrier determined that a web-based platform should be the cornerstone of a comprehensive security programme

The 7th February 2014 will mark the start of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. This will be the first major sporting event to take place in Russia since the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Despite all the excitement surrounding the potential for new sporting records being achieved on the slopes, rinks, tracks and runs, the Games also present fresh security challenges for the organisers. Sochi International Airport is the key transportation hub serving the Games within the region and, as such, it is under intense scrutiny as it prepares to serve up to 3,800 passengers per hour at the peak of the Games’ activity. Philip Baum speaks to the people on the ground whose job it is, in Sochi, to ensure security in the air. How have they prepared for the Olympiad and what will the legacy of the Games be for Sochi?

Whilst many readers have visited Thailand and experienced the seemingly opulent nature of Bangkok’s high rise buildings, temples and hotels, it is also impossible to walk the streets without noticing the beggars with all their deformities, the homeless children and prostitutes. In the western world, prostitution is often a choice or the result of an individual ‘going off the rails’ (whether perceived as such or not); in Thailand, on the other hand, prostitutes are victims of poverty and abuse. In July, Zoë Baum visited Thailand as part of a human trafficking awareness and prevention initiative. She now explains just why airlines must play their part in tackling modern day slavery.

Whilst not wishing to underestimate human factors, there is little doubt that technology proffers many of the solutions to the challenges faced by airports and airlines in their attempts to prevent the next terrorist outrage. Against this backdrop Philip Baum looks at a few of the solutions currently available which, whilst not widely deployed yet, may form part of the aviation security system of the future.

There are thousands of disruptive passenger incidents each year, but a lesser occurrence is that of 'disruptive’ flight deck and cabin crew episodes, the results of which have the potential to be far more serious. A number of recent incidents involving the mental health breakdown of US aircrew in-flight have hit the headlines. Anna Costin looks at these and some of the other reported aircrew incidents and investigates what measures are in place to ensure the psychological stability of those responsible for our safety in the air.

Over the course of two weeks, Philip Baum travelled the eastern and western coasts of the United States visiting some of the nation’s suppliers and manufacturers of services and technologies that safeguard airports and airlines around the globe. He saw some of the names synonymous with screening solutions, such as Morpho and Smiths Detection, along with some of the exciting screening solutions emerging from smaller stables. Qylur’s Qylatron and Analogic’s Cobra could radicalise checkpoint screening operations, Tek84’s Ait84 sets a new benchmark in whole body imaging and Passport Systems may be on the verge of producing a commercially viable and effective solution for cargo inspection. Join us on a journey from Washington to Boston and San Francisco to San Diego.

Certain anniversaries have greater significance than others. In marriage terms, the 25th and 50th years are milestones; key birthdays are marked by celebrations, at various ages depending upon the culture and religious background one comes from; and, historical events and constructions are subject to greater focus upon their centenary and every hundred years thereafter. Deaths, however, are rarely memorable dates on the calendar... unless associated with events that changed the world. Whilst many people recall where they were the moment they heard of the deaths of Kennedy, Saddam Hussein or Princess Diana, or even the tsunamis of the past decade, few will recall the actual date on which they occurred. 11th September 2001, however, has became a date that the world now associates with one of the world’s most signifi cant terrorist attacks ever committed...and now, in 2011, it seems an opportune anniversary to refl ect upon an event, the brutality of which is still hard to believe. The families of the victims will never forget, but the tenth anniversary of the attacks provided the rest of the civilised world to remember, mourn and reflect regardless as to whether one knew a victim or not. Philip Baum travelled to Washington and New York to see how the anniversary was marked.

For a few years, in the aftermath of incidents in Baghdad and Mombasa, the industry became overtly concerned that terrorists might try to bring down commercial aircraft using man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) or rocket propelled grenades. Anna Costin investigates the technological options available to safeguard aircraft against such a method of attack.

With criminal gangs operating airside at many of the world’s larger airports, developing a system of evaluating who we should issue airport ID to is a major challenge. It’s not only the initial issuance of the pass, but also the continued surveillance of those we employ. How can we address the issue, without impinging upon personal privacy, and ensure that those operating airside are honest law-abiding citizens? Anna Costin reports.

The use of dogs in the detection of narcotics and explosives is nothing new. Canine units are part and parcel of many a law enforcement agency’s arsenal and dogs' olfactory sensitivities well known. Despite this, whilst Customs, Quarantine and Bio-security agencies routinely deploy them at border crossings, including airports, to sniff out illicit imports, there has been a reluctance to utilise them in pre-flight security screening. Philip Baum visited Moscow to see how one airline has invested in its own canine unit. Not only has Aeroflot embraced them as part of the counter-terrorist solution, the Russian carrier has gone a step further and is actively breeding its own dogs to ensure that their four-legged agents are the best in the pack.

Technology is fundamental to the provision of an effective security system. As those we aim to guard ourselves from go increasingly hi-tech, so must we respond in kind; ideally we should be ahead of their game. Having technological capability is one thing, using it in the right manner something altogether different. Philip Baum asks some of the industry’s leading lights in the area of technological development and solution provision their views as to how we ought to strike the correct balance between technology and human factors, how technology can respond to the threats of the future and how we can improve our current system using available solutions.

As we mark the passing of the 10th anniversary since the second Palestinian uprising, Anna Costin looks at the extent to which Arab-Israeli conflict has impacted on aviation security in the past decade and, in doing so, reviews the extent to which the region's conflict has become intertwined with and hijacked by those with a different set of goals.

The Christmas Day attempted downing of a Northwest Airlines flight has brought into focus the need for technologies that can detect devices concealed beneath the clothing or within the body. Philip Baum reviews the solutions available and considers how they might best be incorporated into the passenger screening checkpoint.

For many years, well pre-dating 9/11, it has been the standard procedure in many countries to scramble fighter jets to trail and intercept aircraft suspected of being hijacked. Post 9/11, in an era in which the use of commercial airliner as a weapon of mass destruction is a distinct possibility, governments have been forced to consider the unthinkable - shooting down an aircraft, killing innocent passengers in the process, in an attempt to prevent greater loss of life should those at the controls be intent on targeting a city centre or critical infrastructure installation. Anna Costin reviews some of the outcomes of the deliberations.

For all the investment in perimeter fences, screening technologies and manpower, recent events at both the major airports in Thailand's capital and international gateway, Bangkok, have demonstrated that there is a limit to what can be achieved by security agencies in maintaining a safe, secure operating environment. In sharp contrast to the razzmatazz surrounding the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport two years ago, the recent images emerging from the Land of Smiles portray the delicate balance between peaceful protest and anarchy. Philip Baum, in London and Aaron Le Boutillier, in Singapore, report on how Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports became the stage for anti-government demonstrations and the implications therof for aviation security.

Since the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, the cost of civil aviation security has soared. Increased security measures include: the enhanced screening of carry-on luggage to prevent an increased-list of prohibited items, including large quantities of liquids and sharp items; an increase in the number of pat-down searches of passengers; advanced detection technology for both bags and passengers; the employment of more security staff and improved training and remuneration; an increase in the number of security lanes at airports; enhanced background screening of airport and airline personnel; reinforcement of cockpit doors; more anti-terror training for airline staff; increased perimeter security and policing; the development and procurement of explosive detection screening machines and high-resolution X-ray machines. Anna Costin considers who should finance this raft of security measures. Taxpayer? Airport? Airline?

The struggle to prevent further terrorist attacks continues as new intelligence reveals ever more alleged sophisticated plots. It is a struggle that must balance security with practicality and civil liberties. But it is not only extremists, seeking to attack airports and aircraft or to use aircraft as weapons, who pose a security risk. Demonstrators, from a variety of causes have hit airports in recent times. Anna Costin takes a look at some of these incidents and discusses their wider security implications.