The Hindu Business Line : IATA looks at ‘one-stop security’

Recently in Geneva The Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA) is keen to ensure that air travellers have a hassle-free journey when they are passing through an airport in another country to take a connecting flight. With this aim in mind, IATA is now pushing the concept of “one-stop security”.

Explaining the concept, IATA’s Director, Security and Facilitation, Ms Georgina Graham, told Business Line that if a passenger is taking a journey that involves going through airports in different countries without a break in journey, what generally happens currently is that a passenger is screened again in country B, because the airport in that country does not necessarily understand that the passenger was screened adequately in country A, from where he arrived.

“As a passenger you probably think that you got on a flight where you were screened, and now you are being screened again before getting on to another flight. But with the concept of one-stop security, you will not be screened at the second airport. This, however, does not mean that security is being downgraded because, in fact, you were screened adequately at the point of origin and within that time-frame you have had no opportunity to take on board or get rid of anything that you had,” explained Ms Graham.

Separate concourses

Airports around the globe will, however, have to make some changes to implement one-stop security, like finding a way to keep passengers who are coming from an agreed one-stop security originating point separate from those passengers who are not.

Effectively, it will mean the same thing as keeping arriving and departing passengers separate from one another, as is being done now.

“Infrastructure-wise, it could mean that one concourse at an airport is dedicated to flights arriving from one-stop security destinations. Bear in mind that these destinations will have been agreed upon, either bilaterally or multilaterally. You have to have the understanding and trust that Country A has done the screening to adequate levels and then all the flights from Country A will arrive at this particular concourse at the airport,” explained Ms Graham.

Tie-up with EU

Initially, the routes being looked at for introducing one-stop security are between the European Union (EU) and the US.

“They are moving in that direction,” Ms Graham said. “We looked at the top 10 airports in Europe and North America. That will be the nucleus, the first part of this phased approach.” The next country where one-stop security could be introduced is Singapore, as the island nation already has an agreement with the EU on liquid aerosols and gels, and then possibly Australia.

“If Singapore can have the agreement with the EU then potentially it means that Singapore might be able to have this agreement with North America also, if North America has an agreement with the EU. And then, it is sort of concentric circles going out from there,” said Ms Graham.

It could, however, still be some time before the concept hits Indian airports as talks have not been initiated with any airport here, IATA officials said.

“We have not gone as far as looking at India at the moment. It will certainly be on the map because when you look at the connecting traffic, you look at the airports that the people are connecting from and India is one such market,” she Ms Graham said.