“More deterrents, less predictability”

The British Airports Authority (BAA) owns and operates seven airports across the UK – including Glasgow, which was thrown into chaos last summer after suicide bombers ploughed a burning 4x4 vehicle into the main terminal doors. Undoubtedly, those charged with ensuring the security of Europe’s airports face a different set of challenges than they did a decade ago; the incident in Glasgow marked the latest in a catalogue of security threats to Europe’s main airports, and highlighted how all airports – not just the major international hubs – are now potential targets. But how are security managers dealing with the dangers?

“Clearly the threat has intensified over the past 10 years,” says Ian Hutcheson, Director of Security at BAA. “Today’s terrorist is probably more innovative, better funded and more sophisticated than ever before. We are continuously searching for new processes and technologies, and work very closely with the government and vendors to influence R&D programs. We have to keep one step ahead of the terrorists and try and balance security with customer service.”

He believes that UK airports have learned a number of lessons from recent incidents –not least the value of making yourself a hard target. “9/11 saw, for the first time, the use of an aircraft as a weapon,” he explains. “Stronger anti-hijack measures were something that the airports had to pick up on quickly. Iconic targets also had to be protected from an aircraft being used as a weapon. More recently, we need to find a different way of dealing with the threat of liquids, and new and better technologies are probably the answer.”

Despite the need for improved vigilance, Hutcheson believes the regime in place at the moment is effective. “I would argue that you can never be 100 percent secure, but you might not have to be 100 percent secure to actually prevent an attack,” he suggests. “However, I think going forward we need to have a much greater focus on deterrents and unpredictability – and I’m not talking about BAA specifically, I’m talking about aviation as a whole. The industry’s approach is heavily-detection based at this point in time, and it is predictable because across the world we use very similar technologies. So I think that as the terrorist becomes more innovative, we need to change our emphasis to be more deterrent-based with unpredictable measures that are difficult to defeat.”

It’s all about pushing protective security further out. “Security does not begin once you’ve checked in – it starts as you approach the airport,” says Hutcheson. “For me, pushing the boundaries out is how you counter these determined individuals. Most of the UK airports are into multi-agency threat and risk assessment, and there is certainly a role for police and other security agencies in the approach to airport security. The key thing is bringing the efforts of all these agencies together to make sure that the risk is mitigated.”

Clearly, safety is a priority, but at the same time Hutcheson believes flying should be a pleasurable experience first and foremost. “We need to make sure that passengers understand the security regime, because the most effective security is security that the passenger fully understands and willingly participates in,” he says. “The challenge for us is to try and add some simplification to the measures and educate the passengers as to what they can and cannot carry through airports. Up until now passengers have willingly complied with aviation security, and it is crucial that we maintain the support and participation of the travelling public.”

Nevertheless, issues remain. One accusation is that with all the time and money being spent on tightening front-end security, there is a danger that airports are focusing less on what’s going on in the cargo bay, a potential weak link in the chain. Hutcheson denies there is any such complacency. “Whilst there might not be the same levels of security applied to cargo, there are still some fairly stringent measures in place,” he asserts. “I don’t think airports will take their eyes off the ball, for two main reasons. One is from a regulatory point of view – in the UK there are inspections by the European Commission and the Government on a regular basis to make sure that we comply with regulations. More importantly, I think security is such an important part of passenger expectations that providing an effective security regime becomes a critical part of customer service. For me, security will always be a very important part of the customer service that we deliver.

Passengers using BAA’s UK airports 2006/07

Airport            Passengers in Millions
Heathrow         67.3
Gatwick           34.4
Stansted           23.8
Glasgow           8.9
Edinburgh         8.7
Aberdeen         3.3
Southampton    1.9
Total               148.3