Chapter 14

SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

 

14.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER

14.1.1 More detailed information on aviation security is contained in the ECAA Security Manual for Safe­guarding civil aviation against acts of Unlawful Interference (Doc 8973). Distribution of the document is restricted. It is available only through State Adminis­trations. Airport security is an integral part of airport planning and operations, but details must be restricted. As a result, the subject can only be discussed in general terms in this manual. Attention is directed to the document cited above for detailed planning data.

 

14.1.2 At each airport a basic level of security is required under normal operating conditions. In addition there are measures and procedures which will be required during periods of heightened tension. These requirements will need to be determined at the earliest possible stage in the preparation of plans or designs. Consultation with airport security authority will be essential in order to assure that all security requirements are taken into account.

 

14.1.3 In order for security to be effective, a systems approach is required and this includes the basic plan for the design of the airport. All of the measures listed in this chapter need not be implemented at every airport but they should be considered against the level of security  which it is desired to achieve. They should be implemented in such a way as will cause a minimum of interference with, or delay to, passengers, crew, baggage, cargo and mail. It should be recognized that the airport design is relatively inflexible once the structures are completed and should the security requirements become greater in the future, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to modify the buildings and structures at a reasonable cost.

 

14.1.4 Concurrently with determining the level of security to be provided, there is a need to define the areas on the airport to be protected. As a minimum, this would include the air side, but at some airports, protection of the entire airport property may need to be considered. In addition, other functions vital to air navigation which may not be located on the air side, such as air traffic services, radio navigation aids, petroleum storage areas, water and electrical power supplies, will also need to be protected.

 

14.2 LAND SIDE SECURITY

Passenger Buildings ‑ Inspection/Screening of Persons

14.2.1 The most important security consideration in the design of passenger buildings is that it should not be possible for unauthorized persons to pass from the land side to the air side. This requires that access from public areas of the building to operational areas (including baggage and cargo areas) be strictly controlled.

 

14.2.2 In this context, adequate provisions must be made for the inspection /screening of passengers and their cabin baggage. For example, adequate space must be provided to separate X‑ray devices from walk‑through gate‑type metal detectors by a minimum of 1 m as well as to separate electromagnetic security equipment from other airport equipment that will generate electrical fields which may adversely affect the operating efficiency of security equipment. This precaution will equally apply to ducts and cable runs provided for security equipment.

 

14.2.3 Passenger inspection/screening preferably should not take place in the immediate passenger boarding area or near the aircraft door. A preferred location would be a sufficient distance froi~1 the aircraft boarding area so as to permit adequate time for security procedures to be initiated in the event of a security alert. The Security Manual for Safeguarding Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference describes the basic plans for the inspection/screening of passengers at gates, hold areas and concourses, and sets out the advantages and disadvantages of each. A room or other facility should be provided in close proximity to each inspection /screening point where manual or other special search of persons may be carried out in privacy.

 

14.2.4 Regardless of the plan selected it is essential that the design provide for:

(a) the physical separation of persons who have been subjected to inspection/ screening from others at the airport; and

(b) the prevention of unauthorized access from land side or air side to passenger waiting (sterile) areas in which passengers are waiting after they have been inspected/screened and prior to boarding an aircraft.

 

VIP Lounges

14.2.5 VIP lounges should be so designed that they do not permit unauthorized land side/air side access. Persons boarding an aircraft from a VIP lounge should be subjected to the passenger and cabin baggage inspection/ screening process.

 

Visitors' Observation Areas

14.2.6 Consideration may need to be given to the desirability of providing observation areas for the public to overlook aprons. If observation areas are to be provided, consideration should be given to enclosing them with glass or providing for surveillance by security guards. In cases where persons in the observation area would be able to pass material to departing passengers, the observation area should be made sterile by subjecting everyone to inspection/screening prior to being permitted access.

 

Airport Emergency Operations/Security Services Centre

14.2.7 The airport design must provide for an airport emergency operation's centre and a security services centre. These two operations may usefully be located in one complex, either in the passenger terminal building or other suitable structure nearby. Use of accommodation in the air traffic services facility, the airport control tower or other remote facility on the air side for these purposes is not recommended.

 

        

 

Public Storage Lockers

14.2.8 Locations of public storage lockers should be selected to facilitate public access and to minimize public exposure in the event of an explosion in a locker facility. If constructed in terminal buildings, a vent should be provided so that the force of an explosion is directed away from locations in which there are concentrations of people and in a direction, which will not adversely affect essential airport facilities. Provision for supervised storage facilities should be considered in lieu of lockers if any threat exists.

 

Baggage Handling Facilities

14.2.9 Adequate space will be required to enable the airline operator to establish procedures to ensure that only checked baggage for which a passenger is on board will be allowed to be transported on the aircraft. The exception to this would be if the airline operator has authority for some other form of security control for unaccompanied baggage, such as X‑rays.

 

14.2.10 Another feature which should be considered in terminal design in relation to baggage handling is the ability to control access from land side to air side through the baggage conveyor system. If direct access is possible, a method of locking or otherwise controlling the access areas should be provided.

 

14.2.11 Many States have prohibited the use of off­ airport check‑in or curb‑side baggage check‑in. Terminals should be designed in such a way that checked baggage can be handled in the normal fashion if it is necessary to prohibit off‑airport or curb‑side check‑in.

 

Storage of Mishandled/Misrouted Baggage

14.2.12 Consideration will need to be given to providing a secure storage area in the passenger terminal building where mishandled baggage may be stored until forwarded, claimed or disposed of.

 

Physical Separation of Arriving/Departing Passengers

 

14.2.13 The design of the passenger terminal building should provide for the physical separation of arriving passengers from departing passengers in the area after the inspection/screening point. There must be no possibility of mixing or contact between passengers who have been inspected/screened and other persons who have not been subjected to that process.

 

Cargo Handling Facilities

14.2.14 Special security facilities may be required for cargo. In certain situations it may be necessary to provide security controls for cargo, such as planned delays or physical or electronic searching. Airport planning should consider special requirements for cargo.


14.3 AIR SIDE SECURITY Location of Operational Areas

14.3.1 Security of operational areas, where aircraft may be present, will be materially advanced by the physical separation of runways, taxiways and aprons from public areas. In any case, separation should be ensured between public and operational areas, although the extensive area required for the latter and the need for public access to passenger terminal buildings makes this difficult to achieve. No precise distances can be given but the greater the separation, the higher the level of security. A particular problem may be runways and taxiways which overpass public roads. Where such overpasses are planned, special measures may be needed to restrict access to runways or taxiways at this point and to counteract the possibility of sabotage to the structure of the bridge. Other potential danger areas are the approach and departure paths to runways where aircraft fly at low altitude. If it is considered necessary to protect these areas, it will be expedient to extend the airport boundaries during the initial design of the airport to include them in the land acquired as airport property.

 

14.3.2 To adequately protect air operation areas from unauthorized access, it is important to consider physical security measures including fencing or other barriers, lighting, locks, alarms, guards and guard houses in the planning process of air side facilities.

 

Airport Roads

14.3.3 Roads located on the air side should be for the exclusive use of airport personnel. Separate means of access to public buildings not involving travel on the air side will need to be provided for non‑airport personnel. Perimeter roads around the air side area, normally just inside the airport fencing, are required for the use of both maintenance personnel and security patrols.

 

Fencing

14.3.4 Physical barriers should be provided to deter the access of unauthorized persons onto non‑public areas. These should be permanent barriers and, normally, fencing is the most suitable means. Care must be taken to ensure that the provision of fencing does not conflict with the operational requirements of the airport. It will be necessary for access points to be made in the fence to allow the passage of vehicles and persons; the number of access points should be kept to a minimum and equipped so that they can be securely closed should conditions require it. if a gate is used frequently, a security guard will be required, together with a shelter for protection against the elements. The shelter should be designed in such a way so as to permit maximum visibility over the immediate area of the gate and to provide easy access for the guard to carry out the duties of inspecting vehicles and their contents. When night use is anticipated, the area surrounding the gate should be illuminated. Discreet communications should be provided between the security post and the airport security services office as well as a discreet and audible alarm by which assistance may be summoned in the event of emergency. Security of an airport will require that underground service ducts, sewers and other structures which provide access to the air side or other restricted area be barred. If access to these facilities is required for maintenance purposes, locked doors or gates should be provided.

 

14.3.5 Buildings may be used as a part of the physical barrier and incorporated in the fence line provided measures are taken to restrict unauthorized passage through the buildings. Care should also be taken to ensure that the roofs of the buildings do not provide a possible route for unauthorized access to the air side. For additional security, flood‑lighting of the perimeter fencing and/or the installation of an alarm system may be considered.

 

Isolated Parking Position

14.3.6 An isolated parking position will need to be designated to which aircraft suspected of carrying explosive or incendiary devices may be taken. It should be located at the maximum distance possible (at least 100 m) from other aircraft parking positions, buildings or public areas and the airport fence. If taxiways and runways pass within this limit, they may have to be closed for normal operations when a "suspect" aircraft is in the area. The isolated parking position may also be used to handle unlawfully seized aircraft which land at an airport and require servicing and attention. Care should be taken to ensure that the position is not located over underground utilities such as gasoline, aviation fuel, water mains, or electrical or communications cables.

 

14.3.7 Facilities for the examination of baggage, cargo, mail and stores removed from an aircraft subjected to an act of unlawful interference should be provided as part of the isolated parking position and consideration given to the provision of shelter in the case of inclement weather.

 

Security Parking Area

14.3.8 In addition to the isolated parking position, consideration may need to be given to the provision of an aircraft stand where an aircraft likely to be the object of an act of unlawful interference may be parked until it is required or for the loading and unloading of passengers. The objective in the selection and design of this area is to eliminate the possibility of persons physically reaching or being able to launch an attack against the aircraft.

 

General Aviation Parking Area

14.3.9 It is advisable to designate a parking area for general aviation aircraft separate from that used by commercial air transport aircraft. This practice safeguards against the possible use of a general aviation aircraft as a means of circumventing security control at the airport.

 

14.3.10 Taxiways to such general aviation parking areas should be identified and should, where possible, be planned so as to avoid aprons used by commercial air transport aircraft.

 

Explosives Holding Area

14.3.11 A holding area should be provided for any suspicious articles found on the airport or on an aircraft. It should be located in a remote area, and in order to allow bomb disposal experts to deal with any devices, the provision of a shelter, bunker or building is recommended. This should be constructed in such a way that vehicles used to transport explosive devices can be driven inside for unloading.

 

References

ECAR 17 ‑ Security Safeguarding International Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference.

 

Security Manual for Safeguarding Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference (Doc 8973 (Restricted)).