KUALA LUMPUR: With air passenger forecast to reach 8.2 billion by 2037, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on industry and governments to cooperate closely to keep aviation secure, amidst the evolving security threats.
IATA director general and chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac urged stakeholders to focus on global standards, information-sharing, risk-based analysis and emerging threats to secure aviation for decades to come.
“Flying is secure. But keeping it that way is not an easy task. Threats are evolving. The geo-political landscape is complex. Technology is rapidly changing. And the volumes of both cargo and travelers keeps growing,” he said in his speech at the AVSEC World conference in Miami, Florida, recently.
He said global standards for aviation security were agreed by governments through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and are codified in Annex 17 of the Chicago Convention.
de Juniac said the global standards and collaboration - among governments and industry - is the bedrock of IATA’s continued success.
“It has been 45 years since Annex 17 was added to the Chicago Convention. Still, far too many states are struggling to implement the Annex 17 baseline requirements.
“A weakness anywhere in the system affects everyone. The goal is 100 per cent implementation. There is an urgent need for developed countries to provide more comprehensive assistance to developing countries to ensure the baseline security measures are met,” said de Juniac.
On information sharing, he said threats will continue to evolve and become ever more complex.
“Those wishing to do aviation harm have no state allegiance; they cross borders to share information and collaborate to refine their methods of causing chaos and destruction,” he added.
de Juniac said the focus of governments must be on protecting people, citing that it cannot be done with insular thinking.
“We must get better at sharing information,” he said.
On sustainable risk-based solutions, de Juniac said investment in aviation security has grown exponentially since the 9/11 attack.
“Ever since then, there is no doubt that this has made flying more secure. But the efficiency of the system needs to be constantly challenged.
“Governments need to pursue risk-based security concepts that focus resources where the need is greatest,” said de Juniac.
The critical areas to address include securely vetting the millions of airport and airline staff who have access to aircraft, ending extra-territorial measures that often require airlines to take on government responsibilities, improving the security experience for passengers, even as the number of passengers is set to double over the next two decades.
IATA also called for greater government and industry attention on emerging threats, including cyber threats.
"The digital transformation of the airline industry holds immense promise. But we must ensure that our aviation systems remain safe, secure and resilient against cyber-attack,” de Juniac said.
He pointed out that constructive dialogue and timely information-sharing among industry, technology providers and governments will be critical to achieve this.
IATA said it will work with airlines, industry stakeholders and other sectors to deliver a strategy early next year that will be a step-change in how we as a sector address the cyberthreat challenge.