A Manager's Perspective on Aviation Security

Aviation Security 1

A Manager’s Perspective on Aviation Security

26 June 2013

Mark Johnson

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

ASCI 202

Aviation Security 2

Abstract

Public safety has been of great concern in aviation, especially since the events of September 11, 2001. Advanced technology is present and various security measures are in place, but there are still instances where these fail. This paper will briefly explore the history of security, various incidents and what measures were employed as a reaction to each event. It will also reveal the common link between security breaches and what we can do to help prevent such incidents from happening in our company.

Aviation Security 3

A Manager’s Perspective on Aviation Security

After the events of September 11, 2001, the transportation industry felt a shockwave of pressure and urgency to increase security measures. Aviation suffered a direct hit with that terrorist attack and has been at the forefront of security debates across the country. While technology becomes more advanced and strict protocols are put in place to counter terrorist activity, there are still security breaches.

As a company, we need to review past incidents and lessons learned in order to better facilitate the security of our passengers. A hundred years ago, aviation security was a non-issue because people were still in awe of the theory of flight. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that criminals started to take advantage of the vulnerable industry. In May 1961, the first skyjacking occurred, forcing the pilot to fly to Cuba. Four more skyjackings occurred that year. It wasn’t until 1968 that armed guards, “sky marshals,” were put on flights to help prevent these activities, but that didn’t help much since the year closed out with 18 flights detoured to Havana. There were 8 more in January 1969 alone. Finally the Federal Aviation Administration started working on creating behavioral profiles and other security...