Under scrutiny

On the other hand, it might surprise some to know that in one of the world’s most bureaucratic and military-minded nations, communist mainland China, it seems officialdom has just had a ‘light bulb’ moment. Someone realised that despite all the x-ray machines for scanning passengers and their luggage, immigration checks and screening of the flying public, there was one area that was being ignored: conducting security checks on the people who actually work at the airport and with airlines.

That revelation is surprising. After all, China is very much a “military” country and anyone who has flown there knows that checks on visitors, from the visa issuance stage right through to entry, are tough. This is a country that doesn’t suffer dissidents lightly.

But it is also a country where corruption has been rife, right up to the highest levels. Wealthy terrorist organisations would certainly be encouraged to take full advantage of the fact. So staff checks are critically important because there have been a number of events elsewhere allowing suspicious characters, or even suspected terrorists, to gain access and clear controls. They include the bombing of the Russian Metrojet Airbus A321 after it left Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport in Egypt, en route to Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg, Russia in October last year. The 224 passengers and crew died and it is believed the bomb was smuggled on board by an airport employee.

In most countries around the world, particularly Western nations, staff security checks are a normal part of security processes. Even then, an investigation after the recent Brussels attack found that 50 airport employees were “influenced by extremism”, and in previous cases, airport staff members were found to have helped terrorists pass security checks.

With all this industry concern floating around, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) moved in April to add measures to its security regulations aimed at preventing terrorist attacks on passenger aircraft and airports, including for the first time a requirement that all industry employees receive a security clearance. A draft of the new regulations was posted on the website of the State Council’s Legislative Affairs Office to solicit public opinion before May 20. The current regulation was adopted 20 years ago and had hardly changed since. Under the draft of the revised Regulation on Safety and Security of Civil Aviation, all of the country’s civil aviation personnel will have to undergo background security investigations. In addition, civil aviation and public security administrations, airports and airlines will be asked to enhance their anti-terrorism intelligence capabilities. Safety and security plans drafted by foreign airlines that operate in China also have to conform with China’s laws and regulations, and their plans will be examined and approved by local civil aviation administrations.

Even pilots won’t escape scrutiny. As Liu Weimin, a law professor with the Civil Aviation Management Institute, told local media: “Civilian pilots in China used to be under paramilitary management, but as times change, this has been relaxed”. Without elaborating, he added: “Incidents have happened”.

The new rules aren’t only aimed at stiffening anti-terrorism measures involving aviation staff. They also ban passengers from attacking or occupying check-in counters, security check lanes and boarding gates in airports, with suitable penalties for the various offences. That may sound a little excessive but in China, one of the worst places in the world for air rage incidents, both on the ground and in the air, a tough line was definitely needed.

In the meantime, the whole question of how far security checks should go – anywhere in the world – has become a hot topic of discussion. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that Brussels has extended the security perimeter around its major hub following the attacks, mounting screening points outside the terminal.

That’s not the answer, says International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Tony Tyler. Based in Geneva, he was speaking from first-hand experience, having flown in and out of the airport to deliver a speech at an event in Brussels. He argues the practices aren’t only annoying travellers but putting them into danger.

“It’s created large and dense crowds that could be targeted, not to mention the huge inconvenience to people who want to travel. Extending the security perimeter is not the solution. ” Trouble is, no-one seems to know what is.

Without elaborating, he added: “Incidents have happened”.