Aviation security

The Forgotten Threat To The Aviation Industry

A recent article in the Economist highlighted the need for airport security to evolve. Instead of focusing on the threatening items themselves, attention should shift to those who intend to perpetrate these actions. But where, how, and what should airlines focus on when seeking to identify potential human threats? One of the biggest threats to the aviation industry lies within. Airports spend enormous sums of money on physical security – including metal detectors and body scanners for passengers– yet often forget about the damage their own employees can cause.

 It is costly to the aviation industry to have criminal and disgruntled employees in their company. Since 2002, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has had to let go of over 500 officers for stealing from airline passengers. The insider threat is not limited to theft. In December 2014, two airport workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport smuggled 153 guns over 20 flights.

 A more rigorous selection criteria can curb the number of employees with criminal intent working in the aviation industry. Some individuals are “rotten eggs;” they seek employment with malicious intent and criminal aspirations. These individuals are often detectable, and it is possible to filter them out before they become part of the aviation workforce. The aviation industry needs to think as much about the characteristics they do not want to see in employees, as much as those they do.