The Hindu Business Line : Security screening must for aviation employees in EU

COME January, all civil aviation staff in the European Union (EU) member States will be required to undergo security screening before being allowed access to critical parts of restricted areas.

According to an article published in ICAO Journal, the critical areas will initially be identified by individual States. However, from July 1, 2004, the EU will adopt a common definition of critical parts of security-restricted areas based on the experience of EU member States. Thereafter, EU member States would be given five years to implement 100 per cent screening of staff. The article states that the G-8 nations have also expressed the view that the screening of airport staff is desirable. In fact, such a conclusion was reached at the G-8 summit in France earlier this year.

With this, EU member States are now obliged to implement common aviation security and quality standards. Among the mandatory standards for aviation security measures are requirements for the screening of airport staff and flight crews and for performing aircraft searches.

One rule says that all aircraft not in service must be subjected to a security search before, or immediately after, being taken into a restricted area. Aircraft in service, too, must be subjected to security check immediately after the passengers have disembarked or just before they board the aircraft. The idea is to ensure that every time an aircraft takes off from a EU airport "it can be presumed to be sterile."

Following the events of September 11, 2001 in the US, the European Commission was directed by EU member States to draft legislation that would establish harmonised standards for aviation security.

The new legislation makes its obligatory to adopt a national security programme as well as quality control measures for regularly assessing the effectiveness of security programme implementation.

EU States are permitted to apply measures that are more stringent than the common standards during periods of high risks.

The areas covered include airport & aircraft security, passenger & their baggage screening, air cargo & mail, catering & cleaning services, general aviation operations, recruitment and training of staff and security equipment.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Security screening must for aviation employees in EU

Air India `Yatrik' earns, but pilots stir costs dear

For the forex

Concor to move cargo to Andamans from Kolkata