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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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IATA warns that UK airports struggling to cope with security costs

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that the main UK airports are struggling to cope with mounting layers of security regulations that are costing some £4.6bn a year to implement.

They have called for the implementation of an airport screening regime that gives preferential treatment to low risk passengers in attempts to streamline security.

IATA director general Tony Tyler said keeping up with aviation security was a crippling - and, in his view, unnecessary - expenditure. He wants the Government to pay for security instead of airports, airlines and passengers.

"We spend huge amount screening people who, quite frankly, do not need it," he said. "We need to find a better way of doing it. We are putting our customers through an immensely complicated and, most of the time, unnecessary, hassle."

The huge increase in expenditure is due to both the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago and the foiled liquid bomb plot at London's Heathrow Airport in August 2006.

UK airports are backing a programme being developed by the US Transportation Security Administration where low-risk passengers could be given less stringent checks if they supply information, including frequent flyer details and travel records.

The British Airports Authority has also launched a trial of new body scanners that could remove the need for metal detectors and full body searches.
The current level of security is good news for manufacturers of the scanning equipment. The Smiths Group saw its annual revenue from its detection gear business rise after 9/11 from about £130m to £574m last year.

28th September 2011