AviationIsrael’s airport security model may not be suitable for European airports
Israel has a justified reputation as a country offering tight aviation and airport security. Thus, although Israel has been the targets of various forms of terrorism for decades, no one has been killed or wounded inside Ben Gurion airport, or on board an aircraft departing from the airport, for the last forty-four years. Experts say that Europe cannot emulate all aspects of Israel’s approach to aviation security, but that the core idea — that potentially higher risk passengers should be singled out as early as possible before they board the plane – should be adopted, subject to European laws and norms.
Passengers at Ben Gurion airport awaiting security interviews // Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Israel has a justified reputation as a country offering tight aviation and airport security. Thus, although Israel has been the targets of various forms of terrorism for decades, no one has been killed or wounded inside Ben Gurion airport, or on board an aircraft departing from the airport, for the last forty-four years. The Telegraph reports that the airport entrance is located more than two miles from the check-in counters, and that armed guards screen every arriving vehicle and briefly question those inside. By the time travelers are finally allowed to board a plane departing from Israel, they will have cleared no less than twelve layers of security.
Experts note that while European airports apply the same security procedures to every traveler, Ben Gurion employs “risk-based security” – that is, the system aims to identify passengers who are likely to pose a higher risk than other passengers, and subject them to additional, and intrusive, checks.
Most of those subject to additional interrogation are Arabs – even if they are Arab citizens of Israel – especially if they have travelled elsewhere in the Middle East.
Experts note that Ben Gurion’s intensive security is possible because of specific characteristics of the airport – and of Israeli security culture:
- Israeli security agencies openly employ what Western societies would regard as racial profiling: Arabs are singled out for additional security measures in a manner which would probably be illegal in most European countries
- Ben Gurion airport is small by European standards. Last year, 16.5 million passengers went through its terminals, compared with 75 million at Heathrow and 66 million at Charles de Gaulle in Paris.
- Ben Gurion’s passenger traffic is barely half the level recorded by Heathrow’s Terminal Five alone.
- Ben Gurion is the only international airport in Israel, allowing Israel’s security authorities to focus their efforts on one facility.
Officials who spoke with the Telegraph say that Europe cannot emulate all aspects of Israel’s approach to aviation security, but that the core idea — that potentially higher risk passengers should be singled out as early as possible before they board the plane – should be adopted, subject to European laws and norms.
