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Passengers not the biggest threat of terror attacks

Dublin - The biggest threat of terror attacks in the global aviation industry does not come from passengers, but from people working at airports or for airlines, Eamonn Brennan, chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said at the 72nd annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) taking place in Dublin this week.

At the AGM a unanimous resolution was adopted which denounces terrorism and calls for intensified cooperation among governments as well as with the air transport industry to keep flying secure. The resolution calls for airlines to work with airports and other key stakeholders to counter the risk of terrorist threats. It also calls on governments to cooperate with airlines and to consider committing resources - especially intelligence resources - to counter the use of aviation for terrorist attacks.

"The aviation industry needs a sense of balance and a sense of ease by means of educating people that everybody in the chain have a responsibility towards safety and security," said Brennan.

"One can never get 100% security and it will be getting worse. Safety and security, therefore, has to be assessed on a weekly basis. It is a global issue."

Kevin Tolan, chief executive of the Dublin Airport Authority, said the key concern is that these terror events are aimed at where people gather in order to intimidate them.

Tony Tyler, Iata's CEO said aviation is vulnerable to terror attacks and airlines rely on governments to keep passengers and employees secure as part of their national security. Iata is working with the Airports Council International (ACI) to streamline airport screening with modern technology and a risk-based approach. It is also cooperating with the implementation of "Fast Travel", which will expedite passenger processing with self-service options.

"Intelligence is the most powerful tool that governments have to protect their citizens wherever they are. One of the biggest risk areas are large crowds. Industry is helping to bolster these efforts with practical measures that will mitigate risk by reducing airport queues," said Tyler.

As for aviation safety, Iata is working with partners to address issues specific to each region.
 
"This global collaboration in safety is paying off," Iata said in a report released on Thursday.

"Operational safety in the turboprop sector is an area we are encouraged by, as we are seeing more of the smaller operators adopt some of the proven best practices of the larger jet operators."

One of the issues raised in the safety report is the increasing use of drones. While, on the one hand, Iata recognises the great potential of the use of drones, it also cautioned that drones should not become a drag on the efficiency of airways or a safety threat to commercial aviation.

Over the last two years, for instance, there has been a large increase in reports of instances in which drones have been observed flying dangerously close to aircraft at airports.

* Fin24 is a guest of Iata at its AGM.

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