“Europe is facing an unprecedented security situation, with the terrorism threat shaped by a toxic mix of geopolitical instability, marginalised communities & social discontent – as well as social media being used as a powerful propaganda machine.”

 

So says ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec (top right), according to last Wednesday’s address at the two-day Brussels special ‘Security & Crisis Management Summit’ which was jointly organised by ACI Europe and ACI Asia Pacific.

 

The summit covering the evolving security challenge faced by the aviation sector attracted more than 300 top aviation security experts and policy makers, including Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Interior Mr Jan Jambon, plus the European Commission, the European Council, Europol, Eurocontrol and the US Transport Security Administration (TSA).

 

Significantly, it was also hosted by Brussels Airport just eight months after the deadly terrorist attacks that struck the airport and downtown, killing 32 people.

 

 

‘TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE’ REQUIRED IN SECURITY STRATEGY

Never one to flinch from difficult subjects, ACI’s Jankovec said: “All this means that the terrorism threat is at least partially home-grown, very unstable, widely dispersed and in a state of constant flux.

 

“In this context, while aviation continues to be a target, as evidenced by the attacks of 22 March at Brussels Airport and 28 June at Istanbul-Atatürk Airport, terrorists have also been targeting at a wider range of venues and locations – acting seemingly randomly and potentially exposing any public and social space.”

 

He added that this therefore calls for an urgent and transformative change in Europe’s security strategy: “We all know we need to move from conventional and mostly defensive measures to a more proactive and integrated approach with intelligence and data at its core.

 

“Security measures at airports are needed – but they can only be our last line of defence. The key is to identify and stop terrorists before they ever reach an airport, or a train station, or a concert hall. Because once they are there, it means we have already lost.”

 

 

JANKOVEC ADVOCATES ‘SECURITY UNION’

He told the audience that ACI remains firmly committed to this transformative agenda, while working closely with the EU institutions and ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) while providing expertise and advice through its Security Committee. He added that ACI Europe’s Aviation Security Committee remains a unique forum bringing together more than 100 airport security experts from varied but relevant backgrounds, including intelligence services, police and counter-terrorism services and the military.

 

As part of these efforts, ACI Europe also released its Best Practices Guidelines on Airport Landside Security a few days before this Summit. These are designed to offer practical advice and guidance to the airport community and security regulators on how to secure airport public spaces. They will also be used by ECAC for its own guidance material which is currently being prepared.

 

Jankovec added: “Moving away from one-size-fits-all systematic and conventional detection towards an intelligence driven system with more deterrence and unpredictability is the only way forward if we want to deliver effective security,” he said.

 

“This implies a security culture with collaboration and data exchange at its core. It is crystal clear that the only way to get there will be through more Europe – not less of it. The EU has risen to the challenge in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and it needs to do the same with the new threat environment we are now facing. More than ever, a Security Union is what we need.”