June issue is out and first Webinar – 30th June


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Philip Baum: Editor in Chief

The June/July 2010 edition of ASI is now available online (opposite) and in the post/mail to subscribers.

We are hosting the first of our regular WEBINARS entitled “New Solutions for Airport Security: the risks and rewards.“

Make sure you register before the 30th June. “Paid priority subscribers” get a 50% discount on all our regular webinars and of course now get exclusive access to our back catalogue on line.

The following is my lead editorial from the issue and below you can see the full contents of the current edition.

Volcanoes & Flotillas: from Eyjafjallajökull to Gaza

As we pat down bodies, X-ray bags, verify identification, effect random vehicle searches and swab a variety of hand-held items that might just have come into contact with explosives, we believe that we are doing all that we can to prevent the next terrorist atrocity taking place.  Laudable efforts, implemented by underpaid individuals in one of the most bureaucratic of labour environments.

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Most of us willingly accept these checks as a necessary evil, going through the motions of divesting our shoes and belts at checkpoints, disposing our liquid purchases into huge bins, standing patiently in line after line and handing over our papers umpteen times for any single journey. And so we should. Predicting the modus operandi of the next terrorist attack is no easy task and a lack of evidence makes airlines and airports reluctant to embrace fresh procedures and technologies designed to be proactive. As such, there is little to prevent a chemical, biological or radiological attack.

There have been a number of events recently that have demonstrated the impact of being ill prepared. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, which paralysed the European aviation industry for a week in April, not only showed us the force of Mother Nature, but also the need to plan for the unpredictable. There has been significant reporting of the fact that Eyjafjallajökull is actually the small volcano and that its far more powerful sister, Katla, has a habit of erupting within a year of Eyjafjallajökull. It could well be that the skies of Europe will have to close yet again and, perhaps, for even longer next time around.

Rather than simply accepting the closure, senior management should now be planning how it will use the time constructively. We always complain about a lack of training time and rarely are full-scale security exercises conducted due to the 24/7 nature of normal airport life. It would be scandalous to simply pay staff to sit around and twiddle their thumbs when an opportunity to enhance both frontline and management capability is afforded us.

In terms of volcanic activity, there is little point commencing the planning once the eruption has taken place. Now is the time for the contingency plans to be drafted; plans that not only address managing safety and security, but also how to best occupy manpower. An airport is not like a school that gets closed down due to heavy snow and whose children can enjoy the special treat of a snow day to go and play…. (see more online).

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