The International Air Transport Association (Iata), has unveiled plans to spearhead a global effort to build an airport checkpoint of the future, which will tighten security and ease passenger hassle, after the recent Yemen cargo bomb scare.

Elaborating on the 'future checkpoint' plan, Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO, said the association has both a short and long-term vision.

'In the short-term, IATA is already working on concepts and a new process,' said Bisignani, while speaking at the opening of AVSEC World in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

He urged regulators and industry to collaborate to modernize the 40-year-old airport screening process.

'Belts, shoes and shampoos are not the problem. We must shift the screening focus from looking for bad objects to finding terrorists. To do this effectively, we need intelligence and technology at the checkpoint,' he remarked.

He said the enormous amount of data that we collect on passengers can help governments to identify risks.

'The overall process must become much quicker and more convenient. It is not acceptable to treat passengers as terrorists until they prove themselves innocent,” he added.

“My long-term vision is for passengers to be able to get from the entrance of the airport to the door of the aircraft in a seamless and uninterrupted process,” said Bisignani.

Calling upon security regulators around the world to work together to make the skies more secure, Bisignani said the need of the hour was to address the challenges related to cargo security and data collection.

“We are much more secure than in 2001, but there is room for improvement,” he added.

The IATA chief identified several areas where more progress was needed to further improve aviation security and address passenger frustrations including cargo security, supply chain approach, technology and e-freight.

“The events in Yemen have put cargo security at the top of our agenda. Air freight drives the world economy. The products that we carry represent 35 per cent of the total value of goods traded internationally.'

' In 2009, airlines carried 26 million tonnes of international cargo. By 2014, that will increase to 38 million tonnes. Transporting these goods safely, securely and efficiently is critical,” said Bisignani who commended all the governments for their swift, coordinated and targeted response.

On the supply chain approach, he said “The entire supply chain, from manufacturer to airport, has a responsibility for secure shipments. The supply chain approach must be driven by government and industry cooperation on investment, processes, technology and risk assessment.'

'Many countries, including the UK and the US, have advanced supply chain solutions. The industry is committed. IATA’s Secure Freight program is helping to promote this critical component of our cargo security efforts,” Bisignani explained.

With regard to technology, the IATA chief said, 'Airport screening cannot be our first line of defence but it is an effective complement to intelligence and supply chain solutions.'

'Currently, there is no government certified technology to screen standard size pallets and large items. There is some promising technology but it is taking far too long to move from the laboratory to the airport. We must speed up the process,” said Bisignani.

On e-freight, he said IATA’s e-freight program gives governments an important information tool.

“By converting some 20 freight documents to an electronic format, we are improving efficiency and providing the tool for accurate insight into who is shipping what and where. As the industry increases e-freight volumes, governments must expand the use of e-freight from inbound shipments to outbound as well, and use this data to intelligently manage freight security,” he added.

According to him, the industry has co-operated with governments to help mitigate risks identified through their intelligence operations.

“But effective solutions are not developed unilaterally or in haste. We have seen many cases where these have unintended consequences. It is still early days. Industry is co-operating with government directives on targeted actions for Yemen-origin cargo,' Bisignani stated.

'If there are any longer-term adjustments required, we must do so with all the facts in hand with measures targeted to meet specific risks,” he added.

On the standardisation of  data collection, IATA chief said, 'The data is critical to aviation security as its effective use helps governments to vet travelers and identify threats. Through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), governments agreed to global standards for data elements and a process to collect that information.'

Not all governments follow the standards which are adding to the $5.9 billion that airlines spend annually on security. It takes about $1 million to build systems for each country with a non-standard data requirement. Adding just one non-standard element to data
collection is a $50,000 system cost.

Bisignani highlighted concerns about new data requirements in India, China, South Korea and Mexico. “All these exceptions consume money and resources but none improve security or border control. The challenge is to work with governments to
implement harmonized standards,” Bisignani added.-TradeArabia News Service