AVI-314

Air Transport Safety & Security

 Importance of Air Transportation
Safety and Security-Airport- Airways.
 Air Transport Safety Management Principle

GENERAL

Aviation is remarkable for the giant technological leaps it has made over the last
century. This progress would not have been possible without parallel achievements
in the control and reduction of aviation's safety hazards. Given the many ways that
aviation can result in injury or harm, those involved with aviation have been
preoccupied with preventing accidents since the earliest days of flying. Through the
disciplined application of best safety management practices, the frequency and
severity of aviation occurrences have declined significantly.
CONCEPT OF SAFETY

In order to understand safety management, it is necessary to consider what is meant by

"safety". Depending on one's perspective, the concept of aviation safety may have
different connotations, such as:

(a) zero accidents (or serious incidents), a view widely held by the travelling public;
(b) the freedom from danger or risks, i.e. those factors which cause or are likely to cause
harm;
(c) the attitude towards unsafe acts and conditions by employees (reflecting a "safe"
corporate culture);
(d) the degree to which the inherent risks in aviation are "acceptable";
(e) the process of hazard identification and risk management; and
(f) the control of accidental loss (of persons and property, and damage to the
environment).
While the elimination of accidents (and serious incidents) would be desirable, a one hundred
per cent safety rate is an unachievable goal. Failures and errors will occur, in spite of the best
efforts to avoid them.

No human activity or human-made system can be guaranteed to be absolutely safe, i.e. free
from risk. Safety is a relative notion whereby inherent risks are acceptable in a "safe" system.

Safety can be defined as below:

Safety is the state in which the risk of harm to persons or of property damage is reduced to,
and maintained at or below, an acceptable level through a continuing process of hazard
identification and risk management
NEED FOR SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Although major air disasters are rare events, less catastrophic accidents and a whole range of incidents
occur more frequently. These lesser safety events may be forerunners of underlying safety problems.
Ignoring these underlying safety hazards could pave the way for an increase in the number of more
serious accidents.

Accidents (and incidents) cost money. Although purchasing "insurance" can spread the costs of an
accident over time, accidents make bad business sense. While insurance may cover specified risks, there
are many uninsured costs. In addition, there are less tangible (but no less important) costs such as the
loss of confidence of the travelling public. An understanding of the total costs of an accident is
fundamental to understanding the economics of safety.

The air transportation industry's future viability may well be predicated on its ability to sustain the
public's perceived safety while travelling. The management of safety is therefore a prerequisite for a
sustainable aviation business.
ICAO REQUIREMENTS

Safety has always been the overriding consideration in all aviation activities. This is reflected in the aims and
objectives of ICAO as stated in Article 44 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Doc 7300), commonly
known as the Chicago Convention, which charges ICAO with ensuring the safe and orderly growth of international
civil aviation throughout the world.

In establishing States' requirements for the management of safety, ICAO differentiates between safety programmes
and safety management systems (SMS) as follows:

• A safety programme is an integrated set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety.

• A safety management system (SMS) is an organized approach to managing safety, including the necessary
organizational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures.
ICAO's Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) require that States establish a safety programme to
achieve an acceptable level of safety in aviation operations. The acceptable level of safety shall be established
by the State(s) concerned. While the concept of safety programmes and SMS is restricted to Annexes 6, 11 and
14 at present, it is possible that the concept will be expanded to include additional operational Annexes in the
future.

A safety programme will be broad in scope, including many safety activities aimed at fulfilling the programme's
objectives. The safety programme may include provisions for such diverse activities as incident reporting,
safety investigations, safety audits and safety promotion.

Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of ICAO Annexes 6, 11 and 14, States shall require that individual
operators, maintenance organizations, ATS providers and certified aerodrome operators implement SMS
accepted by the State. As a minimum, such SMS shall

(a) identify safety hazards;

(b) ensure that remedial actions necessary to mitigate the risks/hazards are implemented; and

(c) provide for continuous monitoring and regular assessment of the safety level achieved
EXAMPLES OF IMPLEMENTATION

State safety programme.

An oversight authority establishes an acceptable level of safety to be achieved by its safety programme that
will be expressed by:
(a) 0.5 fatal accidents per 100 000 hours for airline operators (safety indicator) with a 40 per cent reduction in
five years (safety target);
(b) 50 aircraft incidents per 100 000 hours flown (safety indicator) with a 25 per cent reduction in three years
(safety target);
(c) 200 major aircraft defect incidents per 100 000 hours flown (safety indicator) with a 25 per cent reduction
over the last three-year average (safety target);
(d) 1.0 bird strike per 1 000 aircraft movements (safety indicator) with a 50 per cent reduction in five years
(safety target);
(e) no more than one runway incursion per 40 000 aircraft movements (safety indicator) with a 40 per cent
reduction in a 12-month period (safety target); and
(f) 40 airspace incidents per 100 000 hours flown (safety indicator) with a 30 per cent reduction over the five-
year moving average (safety target).
ACCIDENTS VERSUS INCIDENTS

a) An accident is an occurrence during the operation of an aircraft which entails:

1) a fatality or serious injury;

2) substantial damage to the aircraft involving structural failure or requiring major repair; or
3) the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible. b) An incident is an occurrence, other than an accident,
associated with the operation of an aircraft which affects or could affect the safety of operation. A serious
incident is an incident involving circumstances indicating that an accident nearly occurred.
CABIN SAFETY PROGRAMME

General
Cabin safety is aimed at minimizing risks to the occupants of the aircraft. By reducing or eliminating hazards with the
potential for creating injuries or causing damage, cabin safety focuses on providing a safer environment for the
occupants of the aircraft.

The range of threats to the aircraft and its occupants include:

(a) in-flight turbulence;
(b) smoke or fire in the cabin;
(c) decompression;
(d) emergency landings;
(e) emergency evacuations; and
(f) unruly passengers.

The work environment and working conditions for cabin crew are influenced by a diverse set of human performance
issues that may affect how cabin crew respond to threats, errors and other undesirable situations.

The cabin crew are usually the only company representatives that passengers see while in the aircraft. From the
passengers' perspective, the cabin crew are there to provide in-flight service. From a regulatory and operational
perspective, cabin crew are on board to manage adverse situations that may develop in the aircraft cabin and to
provide direction and assistance to passengers during an emergency.
 Transportation of Hazardous Material

"Dangerous goods" or "Hazardous Material" means articles or substances which are capable of posing a risk to health,
safety, property or the environment and which are listed as such in the Technical Instructions or which are classified
according to the Technical Instructions. The above-mentioned Technical Instructions known as "Technical Instructions
for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air" are in the form of an ICAO document (ICAO Doc 9284) issued by ICAO
and is available for sale at ICAO and at their authorized dealers.

A number of aircraft accidents and many cases of explosions are caused as a result of carriage of certain dangerous or
prohibited articles inside the aircraft which are referred as `Hazardous cargo by International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Often passengers deliberately or unknowingly carry such dangerous articles due to which there is a possibility of fire or
explosion during the flight. Sometimes such objects are carried through cargo or through unaccompanied baggage.

Some such dangerous goods that we are familiar with are petrol, kerosene, bottles of acid, cooking gas, fire crackers etc.
However even many innocent looking objects like domestic cleaning liquid, cans of aerosol, various organic liquids, a
bundle of match boxes, cigarette lighters, paints etc. can also be quite harmful at times and therefore have been
categorized as restricted articles and should be carried on board the flight under special precautions. So much so that
even a simple kitchen item like Copra (Dried Coconut) is restricted due to its high oil content.
The hazardous material that have been forbidden in carryon and checked baggage on board the commercial aircraft have
been categorised in different classes as given below;

HAZARD CLASS COMMON ITEMS

Fi reworks , l oos e a mmuni tions , fl a res , gun powder l oaded
Expl os i ves fi rearms
Aeros ol s contai ni ng fl ammabl e materi al under pres s ure
(e.g. hai r s prays and pa i nts ), CO
ca rtri dges , medi cal oxygen, buta ne fuel , Chemi cal Mace,
Gas or vapour tea r ga s , s cuba tanks , propane tanks , s el fi nfl ati ng ra fts .
Fl a mmabl e pai nts a nd rel a ted ma teri al , s ol i d perfumes ,
ga s ol i ne, s a fety or "s tri ke-a ny where" Matches , s ome
Fl a mmabl e l i qui ds cl ea ni ng s ol vents .
Bl each, ni tri c a ci d, fertil i zers , s wi mmi ng pool and s pa
Oxi di s ers chemi ca l s .
Poi s ons Weed ki l l ers , pes tici des , rat poi s ons
Ba cteri a l cul tures , vi ra l organi s m, medi cal l a bora tory
Infectious Materi a l s peci mens .
Corros i ves Drai n cl eaners , wet-type batteri es , a ci ds l ye
Orga ni c Peroxi des Fi bregl as s res i ns .
Smoke detectors , radi oa ctive-l abel l ed materi al s &
Radi oa ctive Materi al pharma ceutica l s .
Magnets as i n s ome l ouds peakers a nd l aboratory
Magneti zed Materi al s equi pments
Dry i ce, mercury, any equi pment ma teri a l conta i ni ng
Other haza rdous Materi al s fuel .

(There are certain exceptions for personal care medical needs sporting equipment and items to support physically
challenged travellers).
REQUIREMENTS OF CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS BY AIR

CARRIAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS BY AIR

• Every Operator (a person, organisation or enterprise engaged in or offering to engage in an aircraft operation) is
required to be certified by the DGCA to carry the dangerous goods.
• These dangerous goods will be required to be carried in accordance with the requirements specified in the Technical
Instructions issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO Doc 9284);
• A permission in writing is required to be granted by the Central Government for carriage of explosives and radioactive
material.
• In the event of an extreme emergency such as national or international crisis or natural calamities or otherwise
necessitating transportation by air of such goods and full compliance with the requirements specified in the Technical
Instructions may adversely affect the public interest, exemption may be granted for such carriage by DGCA/ Central
Government.
• The articles and substances classified as dangerous goods but otherwise required to be on board the aircraft in
accordance with the pertinent airworthiness requirements and the operating regulations, or for specialised purposes
are also exempted.
• It is the duty of the shipper, the operator and every person concerned with packing, marking, labelling, acceptance,
handling, loading, unloading, storage, transportation or any other process connected directly or indirectly with
carriage of such dangerous goods, to take all precautions to avoid danger to the aircraft or to the persons on board or
to any other person or property
 Why Airport Security Is So Important

Airport security has evolved with time. Before

1960’s, airport security wasn’t a big issue and
was not that strict.
But a series of high jacking and terrorist attacks
that took place eventually changed the entire
airline security industry. These incidents led to
the creation of the modern airport security
system.
We have often seen how people get angry and
agitated during security checks. But it is a
necessary measure which must be taken to
avoid incidents that can cause you harm.
Here are the reasons why airport security is so
Important!
 1.PROTECTION AGAINST TERRORISTS

High jackings of various airplanes in the 1960s

and 1970s led to the system of screening,
ticketing and monitoring procedures, which
were followed till 2001.
However, all this changed after the 9/11
incident. It was a wake-up call for authorities
who had become complacent with airport
security.
New security measures have been developed to
stop more elaborate and intelligently planned
actions by terrorists.
Things are different now. It is difficult to get
through airport security even with a bottle of
water. These tough security measures have
helped airlines avoid potential terrorist threats.
 2.FIGHT AGAINST NARCOTICS

Drugs trafficking went up very quickly once

smugglers started using airplanes. Drug lords like
Pablo Escobar and others made billions using the
flying routes to transport drugs.
This had a negative effect on the aviation industry,
affected the society and disrupted the economy
countries where drug trafficking was prominent.
Even today we see reports of people coming up
with new ways to traffic drugs on airplanes, but
modern-day airport security measures have
helped to catch the people responsible.
 3.PREVENT SMUGGLING

Apart from drugs, airport security has been

trained to detect different products that are
transported illegally across borders on
airplanes.
People in the past have tried to carry things
like gold, stolen antiques and in some cases,
rare and exotic animals in carry-on bags, but
airport security has been successful in
stopping such practices.
 4.CYBER-SECURITY

Airport security doesn’t only involve

security checks before boarding a flight.
Hackers are coming up with new and
sophisticated ways to attack aviation
network computers, Air Traffic Control
systems and gain unauthorised access to
airport and airline databases.
With the aviation industry becoming
heavily dependent on digital technology,
cyber-security has become a serious and
urgent concern.
Authorities and Airlines are investing
heavily in cyber-security and have been
able to tackle cyber threats which can
cause heavy financial losses and disrupt
the air transportation network.
 5.PROTECTS PASSENGERS INSIDE AIRPORT

With mass shooting incidences on the rise, airport

security keeps passengers protected inside the
airport.
If there was no airport security, the airport would
be left vulnerable to surprise attacks from
terrorists and criminals.
Security measures taken at the airport, discourage
criminals from committing such crimes. CISF
(Central Industrial Security Force) is a paramilitary
organization that looks after the airport security in
India.
With the advancement in technology, airports are
now taking the help of modern tools and
machines to tackle potential threats to the flyers
and make air travel safer. Here are a few examples
of these modern machines!
 1. A.I.T SCANNERS

Since its introduction in 2007, Advanced Imaging

Technology(AIT) scanners have replaced manual
checking at many airports.
These scanners help the security personnel
detect any concealed (purposely or not) metal,
plastics, ceramics, chemical materials and
explosives with the help of 3-dimensional images
created by the machine after scanning the
passenger.
 2.BIOMETRIC SYSTEM

The Biometric Boarding System has had

a positive effect on an airport’s security
all around the world.
Biometric scanners at airports help
security identify the passenger and get
their information which is present in the
government’s database.
This helps the security personnel to
determine whether the passenger is a
potential threat or not.
 3.MRI LUGGAGE SCANNERS

These scanners are similar to MRI

scanners present at the hospital.
They help airport security detect
liquids and prohibited items in
checked-in luggage.
They are currently being used at
airports around the world such as
London’s Luton Airport and Schiphol
Airport in Amsterdam.
 4.CYBER-SECURITY SOLUTIONS
With airports adopting smart technology, aviation
cyber-security solutions are being set up.
This software protects aviation networks, computers,
and databases from cyber-attacks and unauthorised
access.
Due to globalization, airlines are expanding their
operations worldwide and are not limited to the
country of origin. That is why advanced cyber-security
solutions have become a prominent tool for
maintaining security.
Airport security is important because it keeps the
passenger at ease while flying. It assures that the
airplane will make it to the destination safely and the
person sitting beside has been deemed as a safe flyer.
If you want to know about your airline’s security
policy and location of security checkpoints within the
airport, look no further. Simply download the
AirWhizz app and get all the information you need
about airport security on your phone itself.
 RECOGNITION OF IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVISES (IED’s)

Airports and airlines are targets for terrorist attacks. Any sabotage/ explosion at airports or an aircraft shatter public
confidence in the State machinery. Such acts have high news-value and the terrorist group gains publicity with very
low investment. 11 September 2001 incidence has opened new chapter in aviation history where fuel-laden aircraft
has been used as a weapon of mass-destruction.
A bomber has all the advantages. He can choose the time, target, territory, means of placements and almost infinite
variety of IED’s. An IED is designed to explode the way the bomber wants to have it. He can incorporate a delay from
5 mins to 194 days which enables him to be miles away, continent away, months away from the actual explosion
occurs.
An IED can be planted during the day and it will explode when darkness set in and vice-versa. It is difficult to track
down the Bomber in many bomb explosions.

The threat to civil aviation are from passengers, Hand/ checked baggage, employees, airline service personnel,
contractor’s employees, cargo courier mail, Transfer baggage, perimeter etc. The X-ray screeners have very important
role in detection of explosives.
 WHAT IS IED ?

An IED is the explosive devise designed, fabricated, placed and activated with an intention of causing injury/death or to
create panic and chaos amongst public or to cause damage to property.

These IED ‘s could be of any size and shape. They could be manufactured in any innocuous objects such as brief case,
suitcase, tiffin carrier, sweet packet, gift item, radio, laptop computer, TV, VCR, Telephone, Cycle, Scooter, car, Vehicle
etc. It may be operated electrically or mechanically and designed to explode while handling or by use of any delay
mechanism or remote control etc.

A standard IED mechanism consists of:

a) Explosives
b) Detonator
c) Power Source
d) Switches (Bomb Initiating Mechanism)
a) Explosives:

Most commonly used explosives by terrorists today are RDX, TNT, PETN, SEMTEX, C4, Dynamite, gelatine, sheet explosive,
flex-x etc. Terrorist may manufacture/prepare improvised explosive at home or laboratories such as Chlorate mixture, ANFO,
fire cracker mixture etc. The improvised explosive could be manufactured even from urine, aspirin tablets, weed killers,
insecticides, napalm etc.

b) Detonator:

All high explosive needs a detonator to initiate them. It may be electrical or non-electrical. There have been incidents where
improvised detonators are manufactured in plastic or non-metallic tubes to avoid detection.

c) Power Sources:

Power Sources of bomb could be from normal batteries such as 1.5V, (pencil and torch cells), 6V, 9V etc. There are flat
batteries, which can be used for letter bombs. Latest batteries area manufactured in pure plastic containers, which are
difficult to view in X-ray Machine.

d) IED Initiating Mechanism

These are also known as bomb initiating mechanisms. It is normally based on four principles and employ such as:
a) ANTI HANDLING b) DELAYED
c) AMBIENT CONDITION d) REMOTE CONTROL
Anti Handling Bombs:

Many bombs when it inadvertently removed, lifted or opened, it may explode. It is generally made of anti handling
switches and these bombs are too dangerous to handle. The example of anti switches are as under:
a) Pressure switch b) pull switch c) combination of both

Delayed Bombs:

The delayed bombs may have a delay varying from 5 mins to 6000mhours today. For earlier days, delay was achieved by
normal clockwork mechanism like watch or timepiece. Today, many sophisticated timer mechanisms are available in the
market. Delay can also be used in chemicals cleverly concealed in ordinary objects and these chemicals when come in
contact with improvised explosives causes fire or explosion. Chemicals such as sulphuric acid, cupric chloride, nitric acid
slowly seats away the metal, the breaking of metallic wire will trigger the firing mechanism. The training of Bomb
technician in construction, function and operating principle is absolutely essential for efficient bomb disposal operations.

Ambient Condition Switches:

The triggering mechanism is activated by environmental factors such as gas, smoke, acoustic, barometric, humidity,
proximity etc. A bomb may be planted during the day and activate the same when darkness sets in or by difference in
pressure variation. The sound from small bomb can be used to activate a bigger bomb. There is a tendency amongst the
public to crowd near a suspected bomb, the very proximity to noise created by curous on lookers or security people also
activates the bomb.
Remote Control Bomb:
Normal remote control bombs are activated by transmission of electromagnetic waves. Remote bombs will have a
transmitter with the bomber and receiver at the target with explosive. The range of radio control device depends on line of
sight and power of transmitter. Range from 10 mtrs is very common. A remote control bomb assassinated Lord Mount
batten.

Concealed explosives and IED’s:

Explosives concealed in shaving cream tubes, liquid explosives hidden in bottles to look like whiskey or wine.

Explosives concealed within a birthday cake.

Plain detonators with a short length of safety fuse attached, concealed inside felt tip pens (The ink cartridges having been
removed).

Detonators concealed inside cigarettes, in the soles or heels of shoes and in the handler of a suitcase.

IEDs built into luggage in a manner that detection by x-ray is made more difficult by explosive and components being
concealed behind the lining of the case.

Grenades (and weapons) concealed in wine bottles.

TNT cast into shapes such as dolls heads, animals, wall plaques etc.
END OF SLIDE