February theme: Aviation securitySouth Africa to bolster airport security

Airport security in South Africa would be tightened up with the introduction of a single standard for all airports involving stricter baggage-handling measures and cargo controls, the South African Civil Aviation Authority said last week. Officials of Airports Company SA, airlines, the National Intelligence Agency, the South African Police Service, the South African National Defense Force, and customs, among others, held two days of talks in Johannesburg on airport security and to establish an Aviation Security Managers Forum, which will oversee the improvements before 2010. The recent outcry over baggage pilfering at local airports and heightened international concern about hijackings since the 9/11 attacks highlight for the South African authorities the need for a coordinated approach to airport security which stretches from the airport entrance to the cockpit. The situation has only been complicated by organized crime.

Chantelle Benjamin writes in Business Day that while SA performed well in the International Civil Aviation Organization security audit in August 2006 and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) audit last month, South African Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman Phindiwe Gwebu said this was not a reason for SA to be complacent. Airport audits found standards at airports often differed and airport security operations worked independently of each other.

As is the case in other countries, the South African aviation environment consists of multiple players whose interests and tasks differ. Lack of co-operation between rail, air, and road sectors when it comes to cargo has led to inconsistent screening, which is going to be tightened up with the implementation soon of new cargo regulations. SA has been concerned for some time about the need for improved security. The civil aviation regulations were amended a few years ago to allow security audits, 100 percent hold-baggage screening for both domestic and international flights, paper trails for preflight inspections, and improved security of the flight deck and cockpit door. “The objective of this conference is to share information and establish a common understanding of standards in terms of how legislation and regulations are to be implemented and what is expected by the (civil aviation authority and how to comply,” Gwebu said. Issues to be discussed included the need for all security operations at airports to have quality management systems in place by next year, continual training of security staff to keep them up to date with global trends, and the need to address baggage theft, she said. Capt. Colin Jordaan, CEO and commissioner of the authority, told security managers at the Johannesburg meeting that air safety became a global priority after 9/11. “Today, aviation security is high on the list of priorities of air travelers, governments and the international air community.” He said SA could look forward to a secure aviation industry only through an effective oversight program by the authority and voluntary compliance from the industry. The Johannesburg conference would adopt terms of reference and the mandate for the proposed Aviation Security Managers Forum, which would be launched in the next few months.