In discussions of aviation security there are four main areas considered; airport, cargo, passenger and airlines. Describe the impact of security on facilitation within these areas, using examples.
Introduction
Air transport comprises the sector of the worldwide economy bent towards directing regulation towards security and facilitation in the air transport industry (Raven, 2004). While the industry flourished through the systematic facilitation founded upon high levels of safety standard, automation investments, information and other technological innovations, and the development of consultative mechanisms among customs and other control agencies on the airport, national, regional and international levels; security policies resulted to airport delays, passenger discomfort, dwindling of tourist traffic, dampen high-performance and innovative in origin to destination performances, and unproductive compliance costs. (2003) However, security is inevitable in aviation. Despite the seeming negative impact of security to facilitation, efforts should be made to integrate security into facilitation in order to optimize the benefits to airports, cargo transporters, passengers and airlines derivable from the fusion. On one hand, security refers to the prevention of voluntary actions committed for the purpose of harming people, destroying cargo and aviation facilities and other forms of unlawful interference. On the other hand, facilitation means the reduction in unnecessary regulation and improvement in immigration and customs procedures for the fast and efficient movement of people and cargo across international borders. (2006) Integrating facilitation and integration creates balance in ensure security with a positive impact on airports, passengers, cargo and airlines.
Security & Airport Facilitation
Security affects airport facilitation both positively and negatively. Ordinarily, facilitation encompasses the simplification of the entire passenger and cargo journey including inspection services conducted by immigration and customs, the organization of flight schedules, the coordination of air traffic, and airport accessibility services through surface transportation such as shuttles and taxis (2004). Efficiency in these activities ensures that the airport has accomplished its job of providing the building and organizational infrastructure and channel for the ingress and egress of people, cargo and airplanes from one destination to another based on the context that airport operations support domestic and international trade contributing to the growth of the world economy. With the implementation of security measures, airports usually experience different levels of hitches in airport facilitation. Greater reliance upon surveillance and weapons detection technology in airports involves higher expenditure on the part of the airport resulting to the reallocation of its budget. The need for personnel training updates to accommodate new knowledge and technology to enhance security also requires the reorganization of airport personnel together with added costs. Greater costs affect the facilitation efficiency of airports. Moreover, efficiency in airport security involves certain levels of uniformity among different domestic and international airports involving time and cost of consultations and policy development. However, despite these negative impacts of security on airport facilitation, enhanced security closely linked to facilitation leads to minimal delays in the schedule of airport activities and cost-efficiency.
Security & Passengers Facilitation
Passengers experience obvious impacts of security to passenger traffic facilitation. Facilitation with normal levels of security involves the creation of a pleasant air transport experience of passengers through the expeditious checking of baggage and passengers, checking-in of baggage, checking of boarding passes, and the easy retrieval of baggage upon reaching the destination (2006). The accomplishment of these activities ensures airport management, airlines and passengers that no avoidable untoward incidents would occur throughout their flights. With heightened security due to terrorist attacks, passengers experience delays in security checks due to the need to thoroughly check baggage and even requiring the removal of shoes and belts to avoid the entry of objects and substances that could be used to cause harm and destruction to passengers and security. Apart from the delay, heightened security also results to the disruption of passenger movement due to greater restrictions and the placement of more surveillance equipment.
Initially, delays and disruptions comprise acceptable results of security changes. These are necessary sacrifices on the part of passengers in the early stages of the implementation of enhanced security. Subsequently, through the achievement of the balance between security and facilitation through the use of experiential knowledge, best practices and technological innovations, delays and disruptions would be minimized through increased efficiency. Biometrics, improved surveillance and concealed weapons detection technologies, and well-trained personnel provides security without delays and disruptions.
Security & Cargo Transportation Facilitation
Cargo transportation facilitation has been impacted by security negatively and positively. Facilitation of the air transport of cargo involves the implementation of policies expediting the transportation of cargo from the airport warehouse to the airplane that would carry the cargo to its destination and the receipt of cargo from incoming planes and the release of the cargo to forwarders. Economic efficiency remains the most important objective in cargo transport because in international trade, timeliness and accuracy are two key components of cost-efficiency. (ICAO, 2004) With enhanced security, existing levels of efficiency undergo disruptions due to longer and more detailed security checks starting with the entry gate for cargo vehicles. The identities of the driver and the crew are ascertained together with a checking of the cargo documents followed by a thorough check of the cargo. By the time the security check is concluded, the transportation process would have suffered losses due to lost time. Other checks would also be conducted in the warehouse, storage or receiving areas before being loaded to the cargo plane. Apart from this, the lack of standardized cargo security measures in different airports mean duplication since the checks conducted in one airport may not be sufficient in another airport.
However, with the balanced integration of security and facilitation on the airport, national, regional and international levels, the cost of lost time is minimized due to the removal of unnecessary security checks duplication and the speed-up of security checks through high-technology sensors and detection devices able to cover more cargo in less time.
Security & Airlines Facilitation
Airlines facilitation is impacted by security in terms of its revenue generation capabilities. Facilitation of airlines involves the processing of flights coming into and going outside of airports in order to ensure that it is able to comply with flights for passengers with tickets and reservations by ensuring that as airplanes fly out of an airport, other planes come in to take passengers flying at later times. Facilitation also covers the processing of pilots and crew members to ensure that airplane personnel are duly rested prior to the assumption of their tasks in order to ensure safety of passengers and the plane. Passenger traffic processing is another airplane facilitation concern. Flight crew ensures that passengers coming into the plane are boarding the correct plane and joining the correct flight by checking their boarding passes or tickets, seating passengers and applying customer service practices. (2006)
With enhanced security, airlines experience a slow down in passenger traffic due to the greater preference for other modes of transportation such as driving their cars for across state travels or canceling intended flights. Business passengers concerned with the timeliness of flights become weary of the longer security process in airports and tourists also cancel their plans due to the intensity of the airport and air travel atmosphere with enhanced security together with the terrorism scare.
However, security is necessary in air transportation. Revenue loss of airlines from heightened security is minimized through advanced technology and skills training creating a secure airport environment without hassle.
Conclusion
Security is neither innately positive nor negative. Its contribution to the aviation industry depends upon the nature and extent of its utilization and integration into facilitation infrastructures and systems. This implies that security both positively and negatively impact facilitation. It is only through the achievement of balanced integration between security and facilitation that efficiencies are derived.
Negative impacts of security to the facilitation of airports, cargo, passengers and airlines includes loss of efficiencies from airport process, cargo transportation, passenger processing and airline operation delays and disruptions involving the corresponding financial losses together with the thinning of air travel traffic particularly in the case of passengers opting to take alternative modes of transportation to avoid the delays and disruptions in airports. Positive impacts of enhanced security includes efficiency gains in the form of cost-effective high-technology surveillance and detection gadgets and trained security personnel creating an air transportation environment that provides ease and comfort to passengers and minimizes delays and disruptions for airports, cargo transporters and airlines.
Through the balanced integration of security and facilitation, the incompatibilities between these concepts brought about by the disruption of security of the efficiency operations of facilitation are targeted. Positive impact of security to facilitation in enhanced through the use of expedient gadgets and techniques to ensure high levels of security with facilitation efficiency.
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