The friendly skiesTSA to require background checks of private jets' passengers

There are about 6,800 commercial aircraft in the United States, and they — and the passengers who fly them — are tightly scrutinized. There are about 15,000 corporate jets in the United States, and 315 small airports, which so far have been exempt from meaningful security regulations. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is about to change that. The agency has just announced that it has transmitted to the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would strengthen the security of general aviation by further minimizing the vulnerability of aircraft being used as weapons or to transport dangerous people or materials. “General aviation operators are excellent security partners and this will give them a strong common framework for security that will reduce risk while supporting the open nature of the general aviation industry,” said TSA administrator Kip Hawley.

USA Today’s Thomas Frank writes that the agency is proposing a plan which would subject travelers who fly on these private corporate jets to background checks before boarding. The agency has not pointed to any specific threat, but in a 260-page proposal it pointed out that many of these private jets are similar in size and weight to commercial planes “and they could be used effectively to commit a terrorist act.” Frank quotes the agency to say that private jets, possibly packed with explosives, could fly into a building or could transport terrorists or dangerous materials. “This is an important milestone,” said Michal Morgan, TSA head of general aviation security. “It’s the evolution of security into a new operating environment.”

The proposal, to which private-plane owners and pilots strenuously object, would take effect next year and be phased in over two years. The TSA said it would cost $200 million a year, with corporate jet owners paying 85 percent of the cost.

TSA said that passengers would be checked against the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list — just as passengers on commercial airlines are checked — and that passengers who fly regularly and frequently on private jets would be checked once and given a longer-period clearance. Pilots of small planes will have to undergo criminal background checks. The scrutiny would be performed by private companies.

Note that the proposal does not require physical screening of passengers and does not regulate more than 150,000 smaller piston planes. The proposed plan, called the Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP), would apply to U.S. operators of aircraft exceeding 12,500 pounds maximum take-off weight.