A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan
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Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research Volume 4 Number 2 JAAER Winter 1994 Article 1 Winter 1994 A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan Atef Ghobrial Ken Fleming Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer Scholarly Commons Citation Ghobrial, A., & Fleming, K. (1994). A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan. Journal of Aviation/ Aerospace Education & Research, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.15394/jaaer.1994.1118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ghobrial and Fleming: A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan A MODEL FOR DEVELOPING ANAIRPORT SECURI7Y PLAN Atef Ghobrial and Ken Fleming In order to protect passengers, staff, airlines, aircraft, and property, airports should develop, implement, and maintain a system security plan. The plan should be a complete guide for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive security program for the airport system. Increased security should be accomplished through the use of a system approach, with both proactive and law enforcement activities clearly outlined in the plan. This paper presents a model for developing an airport security plan. INTRODUCTION devices or weapons. The new Public Law 99-83, the Not long ago, security problems at airports were International Security and Development Cooperation confined to conventional crimes associated with other Act of 1985, established an explicit statutory basis for the transportation modes: vandalism, theft, assault and FAA's Federal Air Marshal program. The Public Law battery, trespassing, and facility damage. Since the late 99-83 was enacted in August 1985 to direct the Secretary 19608, airports have also become the focus of other of Transportation to assess the effectiveness of security crimes, such as terrorism, hijacking, sabotage of targets measures at foreign airports served by U.S. carriers, or in the air and on the ground, and overt acts of from which foreign air carriers serve the United States, aggression. Between 1963 and 1971, the Assembly ofthe and those airports that pose high risk to international International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) called travelers. In 1989, the FAAissued its final rule requiring three major meetings for the purpose of drafting foreign air carriers to submit their security programs (in International Conventions on the security of civil writing and inEnglish) to the FAAfor acceptance by the aviation: The Tokyo Convention (1963), the Hague Administrator. Convention (1970), and theMontreal Convention (1971). GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING In 1974, a set ofstandards and recommended procedures AN AIRPORT SECURI'IY PlAN was adopted by ICAO. The document was published as In order to protect passengers, staff, airlines, aircraft, Annex 17 to the original Chicago Convention. The and property, airports should develop, implement and document is titled "Standards and Recommended Prac maintain a system security plan. Increased security tices-Security-SafeguardingCivilAviationAgainstAets should be accomplished through the use of a system of Unlawful Interference." approach with both proactive and law enforcement In 1969, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activities clearly outlined in the plan. A system is established a Task Force on Deterrence ofAir Piracy. In composed of people, property, environment, and 1971, the FAA issued notices of proposal rule-making procedures that are integrated to perform a specific for the landmark revisions of the airport and airline operational function in a specific environment. The security measures. One notice proposed the issuance of elements of a system are diverse and interactive. A Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations to give to successful airport security plan should integrate and airport operators the responsibility for providing coordinate the functions of each element in the system. protection against unauthorized access to air operations The airport security plan is a well-defined program areas. The second notice proposed a new Section 538 to that describes the actions to be taken to protect airlines, FAR Part 121, which required each scheduled carrier to passengers, staff, aircraft, and property against terrorist develop and implement a security program designed to or criminal acts. Security plans should not be viewed as prevent or deter the carriage aboard aircraft ofsabotage a set of theoretical procedures to follow, rather they JAAER, Winter 1994 Page 27 Published by Scholarly Commons, 1994 1 Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, Vol. 4, No. 2 [1994], Art. 1 A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan should define the objectives of the program and give directive/policy statement that establishes full enough flexibility to deal with particular events. Because commitment to security. The plan also directs timing, situations, or locations ofunlawful acts cannot be responsibility for security to an individual or a group forecast, it is necessary to leave the detailed course of and indicates full support for them. The security actions to those persons in charge of airport security. classification and copy number should appear The main objective is to ensure that the actions taken to prominently at the top of each copy of the document. safeguard the facility are coordinated with the overall Introduction to Airport System Security plan. Purpose ofAirport Security Plan In developing a security plan, lead security personnel An airport security plan is of limited value unless it at the airport should consult with the FAA, the ICAO, fully defines and implements a security program. The and other security professionals, and should review plan should emphasize identifying potential threats and security plans at similar airports. Next, authors of the areas of wlnerability, and developing proactive, security plan should collect all of the appropriate prevention-oriented approaches thatwill minimize them. security-related information within the airport. This threat and vulnerability management, as applied to This information includes the location ofthe airport, all aspects of people, property, prOcedures, and the type of traffic, the passenger mix (domestic and environment ofthe airport, is known as "system security. n international), the resources of the airport, and the Goals, Objectives and Tasks ofthe Plan capabilities of the different groups overseeing airport The primary goal of the plan, of course, is to security. implement a program that ensures system security. Broad The next step is to write the specific sections of the yet airport-specific objectives supporting thatgoal should plan. There is no standard format or layout; however, be identified; each objective should include a set of security personnel should be able to find all references reasonable and attainable tasks to achieve that objective. to their roles and responsibilities easily and quickly. The For example, the objective of a plan could be to ensure outline can be adjusted as appropriate to suit the the security of an airport or an airline against unlawful circumstances of a particular airport. acts at maximum cost-effectiveness. DEVELOPING AN AIRPORT SECURTIY PLAN Scope ofthe Plan The need for developing an airport security plan has This section should summarize the intent ofthe plan, been emphasized in many aviation management books and list personnel involved and their functions, and what (Moore, 1991; Phipps, 1991; Wells, 1992). This paper organizations are affected. provides a model for developing an airport security plan. Description of the Airport System It presents an outline of an airport security program Organizational Structure followed by a description of the different sections A brief description, preferably with a diagram, of the comprising the plan. organizations of the airport, including security Opening Pages to the Airport Security Plan committees. The opening pages ofthe security plan should include Operating Environment acknowledgment, a foreword, and a management policy Detailed information about flights by type (domestic statement. The author should acknowledge those and international), current and projected flight schedule, professionals, local and state and federal agencies, and estimated number of passengers, types of airlines international organizations that contributed to (domestic and international), political systems of developing the security plan. The foreword section countries whose airlines operate at the airport, high-risk should provide a clear understanding of how the plan is flights and so on. expected to serve as the dynamic structure for This section should also include a briefdescription of implementing an effective system security program. The the airport, including configuration, ground access, opening pages should also contain a management terminal facilities, and airside layout. Page 28 JAAER, Winter 1994 https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer/vol4/iss2/1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15394/jaaer.1994.1118 2 Ghobrial and Fleming: A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan A Model for Developing an Airport Security Plan Current Security Conditions Training A summary containing the current security breaches, Describe the different training programs for everyone threats, and likely forms of terrorist or criminal involved in airport