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Bravo Team of TE02
Aviation Security Promotion Team
Changi Airport Group
Objectives
Members: Bevan, Kai Sheng, Tse Hwee, Nicholas, Yi Xuan
On 26 March 1991, a Singapore Airlines A310 aircraft, SQ117 was hijacked in flight by four passengers who claimed to be members of the Pakistan People’s Party and were reportedly armed with ‘explosives’ and knifes. The aircraft landed in Singapore and the SAF Commandos stormed the aircraft, killing the hijackers and rescued the hostages.
Aim: How can we prevent such incidents?
Now that you know the background, let's move on to the concepts and how to apply them to this incident.
According to ICAO, acts of unlawful interference are acts or attempted acts such as to jeopardize the safety of civil aviation.
In the problem statement, the type of unlawful interference that occurred was Unlawful seizure of aircraft and hostage taking on board an aircraft.
Tokyo Convention
Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (4 December 1969)
Hague Convention
The Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (14 October 1971)
Montréal Convention.
The Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation (26 January 1973)
Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation was held, Supplementary to the Convention done in 1973 (24 February 1988)
The Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection (1991)
Security is the state of being free from danger or threat. The safety of a state or organisation against criminal activity such as terrorism, theft or espionage.
Different types of security:
According to ICAO, aviation security is the safeguarding civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference. This objective is achieved by a combination of measures and human and material resources.
International level
National level
It is under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Airport Police Division is in charge of responding to alerts sent out by the aircrafts. Singapore Police Force, then branches out to Airport Division Police.
The main responsibility of SPF is the maintenance of law and order within its jurisdiction (Singapore Changi Airport & Seletar Airport). The APD is the executive arm of the Police within the airport, is responsible for the development, implementation and maintenance of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme under the Air Navigation (Aviation Security) Order, Air Navigation Act.
The initial notification should be sent to all security services and ATS units within an area of probability to be determined in each case but avoiding unnecessary alerting on too wide a scale. This should be done, if possible, within at least one or two hours.
As for this problem, the airport was alerted and the airport deployed the services needed to assist the plan
Facilitation and safety.
As security increases, facilitation will decrease.
As security increase, safety increases.
Passenger experience (or “pax”) has been defined by the physical interactions between airlines and their passengers – from airport check-in through baggage claim.
Impact On Passenger Experience
Security measures make travelling less convenient for passengers. There is a significant relationship between passenger experience and wait times. Shorter wait times lead to higher passenger experience.
Facilitation will affect the passenger experience in the airport as increase security comes with increase in timing to complete security procedures and thus leading to a decrease in facilitation.
Relationship between facilitation and passenger experience
By having better facilitation, the flow from check in to departure would be quick, however security would be compromised, but passengers would feel happy, vice versa.
In 2012, the ICAO Council approved a new Strategic Objective, "Security & Facilitation: Enhance global civil aviation security and facilitation".
Consequently, a separate resolution establishing ICAO policies related specifically to facilitation was endorsed by the 39th Session of the ICAO Assembly. The appendixes are:
Appendix A — Development and implementation of facilitation provisions
Appendix B — National and international action in ensuring the security and integrity of traveller identification and border controls
Appendix C — National and international action and cooperation on facilitation matters
Appendix D — Passenger data Exchange systems
Threat is a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done.
Primary threat of aviation:
Hijacking of aircraft (problem statement)
Other types of threat include:
Threats obtain a political or social objective through the intimidation of a large audience beyond that of the immediate victims. It also creates a sense of vulnerability amongst the people. Also instill fears in the people so that they are afraid of air travel.
Poor security screening, ineffective body checks would endanger the life of air travelers. (problem statement)
Low Threat Level:
Medium Threat Level:
High Threat Level:
As for this problem, it is under the high threat level
In the problem statement, the airport the flight departed from was vulnerable to terrorist attacks such as hijacking.
Threat – Anything that can exploit a vulnerability, intentionally or accidentally, and obtain, damage, or destroy an asset. - A threat is what we’re trying to protect against.
Vulnerability – Weaknesses or gaps in a security program that can be exploited by threats to gain unauthorized access to an asset. - A vulnerability is a weakness or gap in our protection efforts.
Threats exploit vulnerability to damage or destroy or obtain assets. In our problem statement, the hijackers exploited poor security screening to get dangerous items on board the aircraft.
Monitor (for low risk threats): Threat not considered to be a hazard, or very low risk
Avoid: Choose a course of action that eliminates the threat
Mitigate: Change actions that reduce the overall risk
Airlines can replace sharp metal cutlery with plastic to negate the risk of someone using it to threaten or attack others. Airlines can also avoid using glass bottles to hold refreshments, as it is easy to steal it and be used to attack passengers.
Unattended or unidentified baggage are one of the threats that causes airports to be vulnerable.
Unattended baggage is suitcases and bags containing personal belongings packed for travelling; luggage that is not being watched or taken care of.
While based on ICAO, unidentified baggage is baggage at an airport, with or without a baggage tag, which is not picked up by or identified with a passenger.
Suspicious activity is any observed behaviour that could indicate terrorism or terrorism-related crimes.
Observable signs of terrorist and criminal activity:
By understanding the identification of suspicious activities, we are able to prevent future hijackers from outsmarting the security force.
1. A security awareness training program for use by the general aviation community. The training program provides information on suspicious behavior patterns and appropriate responses to such behavior.
2. It is essential that every airport employee, tenant, and user is familiar with reporting unusual or suspicious circumstances on airport property. There are two ways that persons can report suspect activities.
Linking to the problem statement if the community actually realised the hijackers who were suspicious, the incident could have been avoided.
A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.
Linking to the problem statement, the hijackers are known as terrorist as they were using unlawful interference for political aims.
Revenue and non-revenue passengers arriving or departing via commercial aircraft on a scheduled or non-scheduled flight.
It is the concept of balancing the effective use of scarce resources to counter terrorism depending on the assessed level of risk.
Allocating security resources based on risk is the best approach since areas at higher risk are likely to have more and larger opportunities for risk reduction than areas at lower risk.
Only a very small percentage of passengers would be radicalised to be terrorists.
1. Defining the risk
2. Measuring the exposure
3. Setting the strategy
4. Executing and learning
At the airport level, the risk-based security system consists of pre-screening, real-time threat assessment, routing, identity and credentialing, and differentiated screening at the checkpoint.
Pros
Cons
According to ICAO, security screening is the application of technical or other means which are intended to identify and/or detect weapons, explosives or other dangerous devices, articles or substances which may be used to commit an act of unlawful interference.
Passenger screening is the procedure where passengers are checked for dangerous objects to ensure the safety of other passengers on the same fight.
• Centralised
Generally before the duty-free shop area, thereby separating the general public from passengers
• Semi-centralised
Usually after the duty-free shop area
• Decentralised
Usually at the aircraft boarding gate
The screening process was not effective as the hijackers were able to
smuggle weapons and explosives on board the aircraft.
Baggage screening is the procedure whereby baggage are electronically screened at an airport before it is allowed on the plane.
Types of Baggage Screening
1. Hold baggage screening
2. Cabin baggage screening
3. Cargo screening
Cabin baggage screening was not effective as the hijackers were armed with ‘explosives’ and knifes
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Screening technology has advanced significantly over the years, and with newer and more accurate technology, terrorists carrying bombs into the aircraft cabin can be caught and apprehended before they even enter the aircraft.
Based on ICAO, those areas of the airside of an airport which are identified as priority risk areas where in addition to access control, other security controls are applied.
Reason for restricted areas
The zoning of restricted areas should be introduced to reduce unauthorized staff movement within the airport whilst maintaining a practical and auditable system for access control.
Access control is the restriction of access to parts of the airport, meaning entering the location will require permission from an authorized personnel.
- Airport pass for airport staff and visitors
- Biometric access control gantry with audit trail
- Valid boarding pass with passports for passengers
- Airside driving permit
- Airside vehicle permit
- Checks on persons, belongings and vehicles entering restricted areas
Physical perimeter security can be defined as systems and technologies that protect people and assets within a facility and its grounds by blocking unauthorised physical intrusions across the perimeter.
Such borders allow hijackers and attackers to be kept out of premises to prevent hijacks.
If anything were to be stolen it would be really difficult to pinpoint who was there, perhaps when they weren’t supposed to be and balance vulnerabilities, threats, operational considerations and fiscal responsibility in an era of unstable and financially stressed airlines.
Above everything, access control is very important for theft and safety reasons.
Future accidents can be prevented through:
https://www.icao.int/Security/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.caas.gov.sg/legislation-regulations/legislation/hijacking-of-aircraft-protection-of-aircraft-international-airports-act
https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/ICAOLACACAVSECRG2/Manual%20on%20Threat%20Assessment%20and%20Risk%20Management%20Methology%20NoLogos.pdf
https://www.icao.int/APAC/Meetings/2016%20ICAOPIS/3%20ICAO%20Annex%2014%20Standards%20and%20Aerodrome%20Certification.pdf
http://www.aci.aero/media/572b1b00-0cc4-4280-b21f-cf9769ce2ae4/cV4AWg/About%20ACI/Priorities/Security/ACI_Policies_and_Recommended_Practices_Handbook_Security_at_Airports.pdf
https://www.tsa.gov/news/testimony/2015/04/30/tsas-efforts-enhancing-airport-access-control
https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2017/08/15/alarming-airport-security-holes-might-another-911-type-attack-be-coming/#2bb48d2b44e9
https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something/what-suspicious-activity
https://www.taa.go.tz/index.php/passenger-screening
http://to70.com/unlawful-interference/
https://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/550775/Appendix-sheet-3.pdf
https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/security/Documents/smart-security-brochure.pdf
https://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/files/iasl/aspl613_paul_dempsey_safetyregulation2012.pdf
https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/2008/AVSECPAXBAGTF1/PAXBAGTF1WP06.pdf
https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/GREPECAS/2006/AVSCOMM05/avseccomm05wp06.pdf
https://www2.usgs.gov/usgs-manual/handbook/hb/440-2-h/440-2-h-ch4.html
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/dotcom/client_service/Risk/Working%20papers/42_Risk-based_resource_allocation.ashx
https://www.ifsecglobal.com/perimeter-security-the-big-picture/
https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/GREPECAS/2006/AVSCOMM05/avseccomm05wp06.pdf
https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/fourth-quarter-2017/impact-terrorism-developing-countries
https://unitedlocksmith.net/blog/5-most-common-types-of-physical-security-threats
https://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something/what-suspicious-activity
https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/annex_17_security_safeguarding_international_civil_aviation_against_acts_of_unlawful_interference.htm
https://www.icao.int/Security/FAL/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/security/Documents/smart-security-brochure.pdf
https://www.icao.int/publications/journalsreports/2013/6804_en.pdf
http://www.iacm.gov.mz/doc/ICAO/an_17_Security_10ed_2017_rev.15_01.04.17.pdf