• More U.S. airports deploy body scanners; new scanners -- and 40 existing ones -- used for primary screening

    The U.S Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said whole-body scanners will be deployed to nine more U.S. airports; the machines are among 150 units bought with money from the federal stimulus package; they join 40 machines already in use at 19 U.S. airports; both the new and existing machines will be used for primary screening

  • Airport security by the numbers

    In its 2011 budget request, DHS has asked for $214.7 million to buy and install 500 whole-body scanners; 75 percent of high-risk airports and 60 percent of second-tier airports will have body scanners deployed by the end of 2011

  • Canada to use DHS's Secure Flight rules

    Starting in December, passengers on Canadian airlines flying to, from, or even over the United States without ever landing there, will only be allowed to board the aircraft once the U.S. DHS has determined they are not terrorists

  • Fired O'Hare Airport security chief sues city over firing

    James Maurer, former security chief at O”Hare, seeks more than $2 million in damages from the city for his dismissal last September; he says the reason for his dismissal were his repeated pleas to put correction of serious security lapses ahead of moving forward on costly plans to modernize the airport

  • FAA investigating reports that young child was allowed to direct flights into JFK

    The FAA is looking into reports of a child directing air traffic at New York’s JFK airport; a child’s voice is heard giving instructions to at least three pilots

  • U.K. shipper complies with "known shipper" requirements by installing Avigilon surveillance system

    Avigilon helps Airberg conform with government-regulated security requirements, saving more than £700,000 each year; additional benefits include protecting the shipper’s facility from theft and vandalism and minimizing the loss and damage of goods

  • Airline passengers in Canada to pay more to fund increased air port security

    The Canadian government says there is a need to invest much more money to bolster air travel security in Canada — but it does not want to raise taxes; the solution: an increase of the Air Travelers Security Charge charged to air travelers

  • U.K. begins trials of monitoring suspicious behavior Heathrow

    U.K. government begins trial of behavioral monitoring at Heathrow Airport; monitors will look not only for suspicious objects, but for suspicious behavior; the behavioral assessment will be used in conjunction with intelligence information and new technology, like the full body scanners, to improve the safety

  • Debate intensifies over private planes security measures

    There are 220,000 private planes operated in the United States, flying out of 19,000 airports, most of them small, community airports; in 2008 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) proposed tougher security regulation of 15,000 of these planes — mostly private jets — which fly out of 4,700 airports; facing stiff resistance from owners and operators of these planes, TSA two weeks ago announced it would relax the proposed security requirements; last week’s suicide attack on a Texas office building causes TSA to reconsider the whole issue

  • Nigeria ordering Rapiscan backscatter imaging systems for the country's international airports

    The government of Nigeria is deploying Rapiscan’s Secure 1000 Single Pose backscatter whole-body scanners at the country’s four international airports; the systems will be used to screen passengers traveling to the United States as well other countries

  • DHS awards L-3 Communication $164.7 million for millimeter wave scanners

    The drive toward deploying whole-body scanners at U.S. airports accelerates; L-3 receives a $164.7 million order from TSA for the company’s ProVision millimeter wave (MMW) advanced imaging technology; more than 200 ProVision systems are deployed worldwide at airports and other facilities

  • Paris airport starts deploys full-body scanner

    France follows the U.K. in deploying whole-body scanners for U.S.-bound passengers; the scanners are currently deployed at the Charles de Gaulle airport, but will be rolled out to other airports during the next few months

  • Debate revived over the security threat small planes pose

    There are about 200,000 small and medium-size aircraft in the United States, using 19,000 airports, most of them small; last Thursday’s suicide attack on an office building in Austin, Texas revives debate over the security threat small planes pose, and how strict the security measures applied to general aviation should be

  • Air traffic control shortage endangers New York air security

    The New York air traffic system is the busiest air system in the United States, and the second busiest in the world, with more than 107 million passengers each year; some 5,000 flights per day arrive in and depart out of the six major airports in the New York City metropolitan area; the Federal Aviation Administration says 270 air traffic controllers are needed for the New York area, but the actual number of fully trained and certified air traffic controllers has never risen above 211; that number has now dropped to 158

  • Aussie union: Bombers could beat airport security

    Australian unions complain that the practice of hiring temporary workers to handle baggage poses security risk; about 25 percent of temporary employees working at Australian airports at any time had not been security-checked; instead, they were covered by a temporary visitor pass while their application for a security ID card was processed