Civil Aviation Security

Lesson Overview

In this Lesson, we will first define civil aviation security and explain its objectives and general
principles. You will learn how the first acts of Unlawful interference with civil aviation occurred,
which prompted ICAO to initiate measures to prevent and to counter them.

Then you will learn about the various mechanisms developed by ICAO to counter threats. We will
address the two types of international documents that were developed to that effect.

We will then discuss measures States should implement to deal with the prevention of, and
response to threats and acts of unlawful interference against civil aviation within their territory.

Introduction to Civil Aviation Security

ICAO defines civil aviation security as a combination of measures and human and material
resources, intended to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference.

As described in Annex 17 Standard 2.1.3, the objective of civil aviation security is to safeguard
passengers, crews, ground personnel, the general public, aircraft, airports, and navigation facilities
against acts of unlawful interference.

States must establish measures (including resources, organisations, plans, and procedures) which
together will provide a standardised level of security for all flights, in conditions of regular
operations, and which are capable of rapid extension to cope with an increase of security threat,
or an actual act of unlawful interference.

Brief History

At the time ICAO was created, threats to civil aviation were practically unheard of. Consequently,
the Chicago Convention (the instrument that founded ICAO) does not address this issue.

During the 1960s, however, civil aviation started to be the focus of unlawful acts, usually in the
form of aircraft hijacking. As a result, ICAO initiated a series of measures addressing the prevention
and repression of such acts.
Aviation as a Target

The first acts of unlawful interference with civil aviation were mostly in-flight hijacks carried out by
politically motivated or mentally deranged individuals. However, over time, these acts became
more frequent and diverse: aircraft and terminal bombings, aircraft attacks with ground-based
weapons, use of aircraft as weapons of destruction, and attacks on passengers.

Experience demonstrates that aircraft in flight constitute the main target of unlawful acts against
civil aviation: they can be used as a very powerful bargaining tool to obtain something (often a
politically-motivated want). Consequently, the control of access to aircraft on the ground is of
primary importance.

The International Framework

After the advent of the first acts of unlawful interference against civil aviation, ICAO initiated two
types of documents designed to set the framework for a worldwide prevention of, and response to
such acts.

Legal Instruments-Conventions and Protocol

In response to the rising level of threat against civil aviation, ICAO developed several legal
instruments addressing the prevention and repression of unlawful acts”:

(a) The Tokyo Convention (1963), dealing with offences committed on board aircraft.

(b) The Hague Convention (1970), dealing with the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft.

(c) The Montreal Convention (1971), dealing with the suppression of unlawful acts against
civil aviation.

(d) The Montreal Protocol (1988), an addendum expanding on the Montreal Convention and
dealing with the suppression of unlawful acts of violence at international airports.

(e) The Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection
(Montreal, 1991).
To effectively prevent and respond to acts of unlawful interference, States must ratify these
Conventions and Protocol, and create a national regulatory framework to allow their enforcement
within their territory.

Technical Documents-Annexes and Other Documents

Further to the above legal instruments, ICAO developed two technical documents that provide
States with SARPs and guidance:

(a) Annex 17, Security-Safeguarding International Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful
Interference. This document provides technical specifications in the form of SARPs.

(b) Security Manual Against Acts of Unlawful Interference-Document 8973/7. This document
provides States with guidance for the development and implementation of a National and
an Airport Civil Aviation Security Programme.

As signatories to the Chicago Convention, States must comply with the provisions contained in all
Annexes to this Convention. Annex 17 is one of them.

The National Framework

The National Civil Aviation Security Programme

Similar to the Aerodrome Standards and Recommended Practices you learned about in Module 2,
States must adopt the provisions of ICAO Annex 17-Security. They require, among other things, the
implementation of a National Civil Aviation Security Programme. ICAO Document 8973/7. Vol. 1
Chapter 7 provides detailed guidance for its implementation.

Objective

This programme is established in accordance with the Government Policy on National Security. Its
objective is to safeguard civil aviation operations against acts of unlawful interference through:

(a) Regulations
(b) Practices
(c) Procedures
In order for States to translate ICAO security requirements into practical and enforceable measures
meeting national needs, the National Civil Aviation Security Programme must be based on a
regulatory framework.

Contents

A model programme provided by ICAO³ suggests the following contents

(a) Programme objective

(b) Definitions
(c) Legislation
(d) Responsibilities
(e) Coordination and Communications
(f) Protection of airports, aircraft, and air navigation facilities.
(g) Control of persons and items placed on board aircraft.
(h) Security equipment
(i) Personnel

(j) Response to acts of unlawful interference.

(j) Evaluation of effectiveness.

The National Civil Aviation Security Authority

(k) Each State must create a National Civil Aviation Security Authority responsible to develop ,
implement, and maintain all elements of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme.
In many States, this authority is part of the Civil Aviation Authority.
This authority should be equipped with the resources necessary to meet its objectives. Its
responsibilities are to:

(a) Develop and update a programme commensurate with the specific aviation security
needs of the State.

(b) Assess the national threat level, in line with the regional and global context.

(c) Ensure that all airports develop and implement their own Civil Aviation Security Programme.

(d) Carry out audits, inspections and tests.

(e) Adjust the programme following audits, inspections, tests, and actual incidents.

National Civil Aviation Security Committee

Each State must establish a National Civil Aviation Security Committee. If a State has more
than one international airport, individual committees must be established to address the
specific needs of each airport.
 Role
The role of the committee is to provide advice on security policies, recommend measures
and procedures and review their efficiency, and ensure the required level of coordination
to achieve the success of the security programme, It should also ensure the liaison with
committees at each airport.

Airport Security

Lesson Overview

The third level in the effort to ensure security takes place is at the airport itself. It is the most
action-oriented and detailed one in its application. We will address the many measures
implemented by airport operators to prevent acts of unlawful interference (control of access to
restricted areas and to aircraft by passengers, luggage, freight, and employees), and to respond to
them (emergency plans and facilities).

In order to protect civil aviation at the airport level (where most threats and unlawful acts
originate), each airport must establish a written Airport Security Programme. It is an extension of
the National Programme and it consists of the same objectives and components. However, it is
more action-oriented: it is where the prevention of, and the response to threats and acts of
unlawful interference take place.

At the airport level, the protection of civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference is a joint
effort between many parties, including tenants, concessionaires, passengers, and visitors.
However, the three key partners are the National Civil Aviation Security Authority, the airport
operator, and aircraft operators.

Recent Increases in security measures lengthen the total transfer time from the surface mode to
the air mode. We will look at ICAO’s recommendation relative to this issue and some of the
measures that airports can implement to mitigate the impact of security processes on facilitation.

We will then explain the need to train airport employees on security issues and explain the
importance of security awareness.

Airport Security Programme

According to Annex 17, Standard 3.2.1, each Contracting State shall require each airport serving
civil aviation to establish, implement and maintain a written airport security programme. This
programme, to be approved by the National Civil Aviation Security Authority, should include the
following elements:

(a) Responsibilities of the airport operator

(b) Coordination and communications

(c) Protection of airport, aircraft, and air navigation facilities

(d) Control of persons and items placed on board aircraft

(e) Security equipment

(f) Personnel

(g) Response to acts of unlawful interference

(h) Evaluation of effectiveness of measures

Airport Security Authority

Each Contracting State shall ensure that an authority at each airport serving civil aviation is
responsible for coordinating the implementation of security controls”

Responsibilities

The Airport Security Authority has a number of result-oriented responsibilities ”:

 (a) Coordinate, at the airport level, the implementation of the National Civil Aviation Security
Programme.

(b) Collect and maintain statistics on airport vulnerable points.

(c) Ensure that existing security measures meet the requirements of current and anticipated
threat levels.

(d) Conduct regular exercises, tests and inspections.

(e) Report on weaknesses and implement corrective measures.

(f) Report to management on weaknesses requiring outside assistance.

(g) Ensure that all security personnel are qualified and trained.

(h) Provide input into plans for new or expanded airport facilities.

Resources and Tools

In order to effectively safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference, the Airport Civil
Aviation Security Authority requires a number of resources and tools:

(a) Qualified employees

b) Support facilities

c) Contingency plans
d) Training programmes

e) Control equipment and procedures

f) Access control and procedures

g) Testing of Procedures

h) Audits

i) Equipment maintenance and calibration.

Airport Civil Aviation Security Committee

As described in Annex 17, Standard 3.2.3, each airport should establish a Security Committee to
assist the authority in coordinating the implementation security controls and procedures as
specified in the airport security programme.

Membership of the committee must include a complete cross-section of expertise required to

effectively deal with local security issues”:

(a) Airport management

(b) Airlines and other aircraft operators

(c) Head of airport security

(d) Police

(e) Immigration

(f) Customs

(g) Other border control agencies

 (h) Postal services

(i) Air traffic services

(j) Medical services

(k) Rescue and fire-fighting services

(l) Freight forwarders

(m) Organisations representing employees likely to be affected by acts of unlawful interference

against civil aviation (such as crew members, security screening personnel, airline agents,
etc), who can provide technical expertise during deliberations and incidents.

Preventative Measures

The primary objective of these measures is to prevent the presence on board aircraft (and in other
vulnerable points) of weapons, explosives, and other dangerous devices, articles or substances”.
These prohibited items can be introduced by several means¹2.

(a) Introduced through collusion in restricted areas for future use.

(b) Carried on board aircraft by people (passengers, employees, and trespassers).

(c) Placed inside checked luggage or freight.

To prevent the above acts, access to aircraft must be strictly controlled, Three parallel approaches
must be implemented concurrently:
 (a) Creation of restricted access areas (the airside plus other vulnerable points), to be
protected by physical barriers.

(b) Procedures to ensure that only authorised people can pass through these barriers

(c) Procedures to ensure that no unauthorised items can be placed inside checked luggage,
freight, or directly on board aircraft.

Three categories of people may be authorised to access restricted areas:

(a) Passengers with a valid boarding pass or airline ticket.

(b) Duly identified employees whose duties require such access.

(c) Occasional visitors and temporary employees, when escorted by a qualified person.

3.2.4.1 Control of Access to Restricted Areas-Physical Barriers

Airport restricted areas are surrounded by the airport property limit, by the landside, and by
buildings that straddle the landside and the airside.

The airport property limit may extend over several kilometres, which renders access control
difficult. In particular, undeveloped areas consisting of fields or forests sustain little activity and
display no lighting. Therefore, effective means must be implemented to prevent unauthorised
access from outside the airport.

Security Fences

In order to prevent unauthorised access to restricted areas, their entire perimeter must be secured
using a fence meeting a number of specification. Transparent fences are preferred to opaque ones
as they allow seeing outside of the restricted areas. They may be made of chain link, expanded
metal sheets, steel palisades or welded steel mesh. Concrete or steel posts should support then
The fabric should be strong enough to sustain deformation, and tall enough to prevent access over
or under it. Anti-climbing devices such as barbed wire should be used for additional protection.
No obstacles such as parked vehicles, stored materials, and stockpiles of earth, are allowed within
a reasonable distance on either side of the fence, as they would facilitate access. Fences should be
kept clear of tall vegetation and climbing vines as they obstruct view and hamper servilliance-

Where feasible, fences should be well illuminated to facilitate the detection

Of suspicious activity in their vicinity. Lighting can be supplemented with detection equipment
such as closed circuit television, motion detectors, and infrared cameras.

Underground storm sewer pipes or tunnels often extend beyond the security fence. Their outlet
must be equipped with steel bars to prevent access through them.

Where buildings constitute the boundary between landside and airside (terminal buildings-
passenger and freight, general aviation hangars, fuel depot, etc), these buildings play the same role
as a fence. Access to restricted areas within buildings is addressed under “Access Points”.