Management

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Behind the screen

Attacks and hijacks have found a bitter place in the history of civil aviation with aircrafts and airports being prime targets for acts of terror. So how can we make our airways more secure? By Gayatri Vijaykumar

The year 1985 saw one of the deadliest airline bombings in the history of aviation where all 329 people onboard the aircraft were killed in a mid-air explosion. The culprit was a bomb in the cargo hold of Air India flight 182 to New Delhi, allegedly placed by members of a Sikh extremist organisation.

Sixteen years later in September 2001, four commercial jetliners of American Airlines and United Airlines were hijacked. Two of the airliners were flown into the World Trade Center twin towers in New York, one around the Pentagon in Washington and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. The death toll was estimated to be close to 3,000 including passengers and the suicide bombers. Images of the twin towers crumbling like a pack of cards still induce the same level of horror it did six years ago.

Innumerable lives and assets worth billions have been lost. The case of the 'shoe bomber', British citizen Richard Reid who attempted to bomb American Airlines Flight 63 (Paris-Miami route) in December 2001 by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes reveals the extent to which a security breach can take place. Thankfully, in this case, Reid was stopped before he could detonate the bomb.

Training for security

Both, the airports and airlines, work in tandem to ensure smooth flow of traffic at the airport especially now when multiple take offs every minute is the norm. The pressure on the airport is already immense because of limited infrastructure, and, to add on to that, is the task of screening each and every one of the 250-300 passengers boarding a regular international flight. Huge crowds are a major puller for threats and this pressure in turn falls on the security personnel

All airlines understand the importance of providing adequate and in-depth training on security to their staff, both ground and cabin crew. In India, all airline staff has to undergo a certification training programme from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The BCAS has a training and demonstration centre which is equipped with the latest audio-visual training aids. Based in New Delhi, the centre conducts training on a regular basis for all airline staff, airport employees and security staff.

Each airline, in turn, also implements strict screening and training procedures to ensure that the staff is well versed on the latest security measures. Mumbai-based Jet Airways lays a lot of emphasis in training its staff over security and is one of the highest spenders in the Indian aviation sector on this form of training. Colonel A S Bedi, senior general manager (Security Operations) for the airline, says, "Selecting a candidate in this issue is very critical, especially post 9/11. Today's terrorists are well-equipped with technology and are intelligent enough to survey their environment and know when to strike. Another aspect is to identify who the trouble maker is, which could be a highly tricky situation. So, in addition to having all the technological equipment one needs to have logical and intelligent systems in place to detect such people."

The training period may differ from airline to airline, but the core process may stay the same. After some theoretical insight into the background and facets of security, all airline staff - cabin crew, screeners and security personnel - has to undergo simulation training, which the industry believes to be the best form of training ground. The staff is made familiar with the airport environment, trained on aspects such as eye for detail while screening passengers and baggage, attitude towards passengers, identifying explosives, in the course of training which becomes the base while on the job.

For Jet, the training process begins once the candidate is shortlisted from the interviews. Bedi adds, "Based on the interview we put the applicants through computerised psychometric tests, for which we have ties with Tel International (an Israeli company offering computerised solutions in the field of assessment and screening) and e-mail the tests for the results. Based on the order of merit, we are advised about recruitments. This process cannot be violated under any circumstance."

At Air Deccan, a comprehensive training of 10 days on aviation security is provided to the security staff as per the standardised training package developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The crew is also given six days intensive training as per the standardised training package developed by the ICAO.

The El Al example

Aviation security cannot be discussed without taking Israel's national carrier, El Al Airlines into consideration. It has the reputation of being the safest airline in the world. The sole successful hijacking of an EL Al aircraft was in 1968, before the implementation of the security systems. Numerous other attempts have been thwarted off by an ever-vigilant staff. The security checks at El Al start from the time the passenger calls up the airline office to book a ticket. The passenger's name is checked against a list of terrorist suspects compiled by the FBI, Interpol and the Israeli intelligence service Shin Bet. All passengers are required to report three hours before the check-in time. Security personnel in plain cloths and uniform patrol its terminals for any suspicious person or object.

All passengers boarding El Al flights are interviewed about their sponsors, whether they are travelling alone, reason for their trip, and when their flight was booked. This procedure, however, has received protests from agencies like the Center Against Racism and the Arab Association for Human Rights that state that the interrogation amounts to ethnically profiling passengers which is unfair and degrading.

However contentious it may be, this method has helped the airline gauge the authenticity of a passenger. The passenger's luggage is screened and sometimes hand-checked too. Besides that El Al is said to have decompression chambers which cools down the temperature and all the cargo is frozen, thus disabling the explosive device. El Al is the only airline in the world which utilises this technology. Most El Al pilots and cabin crew are trained defense personnel and are trained in hand-to-hand combat. The security measures do not stop at the airport.

The cockpit is secured with double doors to restrict the entry of unauthorised personnel into the cockpit. El Al is also the only airline in the world to be fitted with anti-missile counter measures. It is also reported that El Al sky marshals fly on El Al flights posing as passengers.

Biometric procedures: A way out?

Air France recently announced its plans of conducting trials with biometric boarding cards. These would enable passengers to print out their boarding passes using scanners and dedicated check-in lines. Passengers would have to pass through electronic gates which would match their finger prints with that in the card. If successful, this would become a secure and efficient means of identification. Biometric measures incorporate an individual's unique physical traits such as fingerprints or pattern of the iris or facial features. The proposal of introducing biometric procedures in the aviation sector has been met with approval. Colonel Thimmaiah, general manager (security) at Air Deccan says, "If implemented, it will surely enhance security. The biometric card would also enable passengers a smooth passage through the airport to the aircraft."

Security post 9/11

According to sources from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a paramilitary organisation in charge of airport security in India, there is a much more stringent security system in place in airports throughout India post 9/11. The source explains "Prior to the tragedy, all levels of security were not followed so strictly. Technologically all safety equipment like x-ray machines, handheld metal detectors, explosive detector machines, communications devices, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMD), have been upgraded too. It is an ongoing technological process with a significant improvement." Colonel Thimmaiah adds that to ensure the safety of aircraft and passengers, security regulations have been made more stringent than before. "Speedy induction of CISF at most of the airports in India, the enhanced security measures at all the airports, introduction of advanced technology for screening of baggage and passengers, stricter auditing and monitoring of security measures by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) have been put in place post 9/11," he explains.

As a result, every time passengers board a flight at any airport in India, they have to go through a number of checks and security procedures. It starts from the police check which is done in the parking lot. An excess control check is done at all entry points where passenger tickets are checked. With most passengers preferring to buy e-tickets, verification of a valid photo identity card also becomes crucial. All belongings are registered and go through the x-ray machine. The airline then screens the registered baggage. Apart from the belongings, the passenger also has to pass through a DFMD with manual frisking.

Indian security: The way ahead

According to CISF sources, Indian security standards are 'top class' and unmatched in the world. "We have had training sessions with top-class airports and our security standards are endorsed by other countries," explains the source. Colonel Thimmaiah adds "Security regulations are framed by the BCAS and are required to be implemented by all operators. The manpower for the execution of these regulations is drawn from the state police. In addition, Air Deccan also has its own security set-up to make sure that all regulations are meticulously followed.

The path to secure aviation is, however, filled with challenges. According to the CSIF source, technological improvement is a challenge. Since aviation security is a dynamic field, technological advancements have to be made to meet the changing industry. Security in the aviation industry has always been a reactive mode. Unfortunately, in most cases, it is only after an untoward incident occurs that the governments, airports and the airlines beef up security.

(With inputs from Chetan Kapoor, Mumbai)