Hostile activities around the world have led to the additional prioritisation of passengers’ security in the aviation industry.
Airport Security
The increasing threat of attacks on passengers, facilities or aircraft - especially with miniature hidden explosives - has led to the growing need for error free mechanisms to curb occurrences.
Air travel continues to be the most safe form or transport. Huge number of people travel safely every day however airports and operators are taking are taking advantage ofsophisticated technologies to try and ensure the high level of safety continues.
All major airports globally now use Explosive Detecting Systems. EDS work on tomography computing technology that is able to detect any explosive products in passengers’ luggage. The detection aspects are enabled through the targeted used of x-rays able to give a visual representation of specific materials in, for example, a passengers’ bag. Improvements in this type of technology allow the scanning operator to detect and give an alarm if the presence of any specific fluids and gases are found. The laser based variant of the EDS cleverly uses lasers to screen large luggage and provide a safety analysis as quickly as three seconds. Explosive Detection Systems are a large and crucial part of the threat detection and removal process
In the modern age, operators of aircraft and airports, manage their operation through the use of sophisticated computer systems. This leads to fantastic advancements in safety and efficiency however , any breach in the software can lead to grave consequences. This risk has been increased by the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) culture where passengers are allowed to bring their phones, laptops or tablets on board. External equipment is very difficult to track and secure and so the threat of malicious transmissions is increased.
Security Reduces Hacking
Fortunately, robust cyber security standards are employed by airports and airlines to curb these risks. Airline systems are installed with powerful firewalls that filter all software requests in the airline systems. Furthermore, encrypted transmission between the aircraft and the airport control room is being adopted to prevent cases of information leakage or adverse input.
In a spreading trend airports are investing in new and advanced systems that track passengers’ travel history and identity. Sophisticated finger print technology has long being used to counter check passengers database held information and the one on their passport. Advanced biometric systems have introduced the use of iris scanners that scans the eyes biological properties and the information matched with the existing data. Face recognition software is also gaining traction in some airport to achieve the same aim. These techniques help to ensure known people cannot board aircraft on falsified documentation.
As always there is a fantastic rate of innovation in the aviation industry which will continue to be deployed as it becomes available, hopefully continuing the positive modern trend in aviation security.