DAVID CAMERON: BLEAK HOUSE REWRITTEN

The Spectator article written by Danny Kruger is interesting for all the wrong reasons, it suggests former Prime Minister David Cameron ( who has now effectively quit politics) will not be fondly remembered by future historians,  but more importantly the poor investment policies followed by his government and the coalition before that,  means that we in the UK will post 'Brexit' have a long time playing catch up.  Aviation groups within the UK have been disadvantaged by a dysfunctional airports policy which has seen the UKs prime assets fall into to foreign ownership, but still mopping up UK taxpayer public funding....  


‘Bad policy.’ ‘No discernible impact on the key outcomes it was supposed to improve.’ ‘Deliberate misrepresentation of the data… a funding model that could have been designed to waste money’. ‘A waste of £1.3 billion’. ‘Failed’.

The media’s treatment of the troubled families programme, whose evaluation has recently been made public, cannot have cheered David Cameron in his last week as an MP. History does not look likely to be kind to his great social policy.

We should, however, be grateful to the former prime minister for his quixotic attempt to do the right thing on a massive scale.

Because in doing so he exposed the fallacy which has dominated social policy since 1945: the idea that the government is infinitely capable of solving social problems.

Our politicians seem to be finally realising that it can’t. As Meg Hillier, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, put it last week, when she asked Dame Louise Casey, the civil servant in charge of the troubled families programme, ‘Don’t you think this is too big a challenge for government to get a grip on?’................

READ MORE:

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/10/history-wont-look-kindly-david-cameron-reasons-referendum/ 



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Aviation Incidents October 30th 2016: Engine failure, hydraulic leak, cabin smoke,takeoff rejected- engine fail

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Hong Kong A333 at Hong Kong on Oct 30th 2016, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration B-LNP performing flight HX-707 from Hong Kong (China) to Denpasar (Indonesia), was accelerating for takeoff from Hong Kong when the left hand engine (Trent 772) emitted a loud bang prompting the... Read full story »

American A319 near Denver on Oct 30th 2016, smoke in cabin An American Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N819AW performing flight AA-569 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 105 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 80nm north of Denver,CO (USA) when the crew decided to divert to... Read full story »

Argentinas A332 at Buenos Aires on Oct 27th 2016, engine failure A Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-200, registration LV-GKO performing flight AR-1300 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to New York JFK,NY (USA), departed Buenos Aires Ezeira Airport's runway 11 just before midnight when the left hand engine (CF6)... Read full story »

Germanwings A332 at Palma Mallorca and Cologne on Oct 27th 2016, hydraulic leak A Germanwings Airbus A330-200, registration D-AXGA performing flight 4U-585 from Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain) to Cologne/Bonn (Germany), was climbing out of Palma Mallorca when the crew detected a leak in one of the hydraulic systems and shut the... Read full story »

United B764 at Barcelona on Oct 28th 2016, rejected takeoff due to engine failure A United Boeing 767-400, registration N78060 performing flight UA-141 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Washington Dulles,DC (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Barcelona's runway 25L when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed due to the failure... Read full story »

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AN-124 DELIVERS ROCKET BOOSTER FOR WEATHER SATELLITE LAUNCH DESPITE HURRICANE HIATUS

The closure of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as Hurricane Matthew swept towards Florida didn’t stop Volga-Dnepr Airlines An-124-100 freighter (first seen at this years Farnborough Air Show) from completing its role in ensuring an advanced weather observatory was delivered for launch into space next month.

The airline was due to commence a two and-a-half hour flight from Huntsville, Alabama, to Cape Canaveral carrying a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket booster. However, the flight had to be postponed with just 15 minutes of the four-hour loading to go after the Florida airfield was closed with immediate effect as the storm approached.

Volga-Dnepr, which was operating the flight on behalf of its longstanding customer, ULA, was initially advised that Cape Canaveral could be closed for seven days. In consultation with ULA, the airline decided to hold the 31-tonne payload inside the cargo hold of its An-124-100 freighter until the storm passed to ensure the cargo could still be delivered in time for the necessary preparations to be completed ahead of the planned launch date in November.

Matthew Thear, Customer Service Manager of Volga-Dnepr said: “We have a strong working relationship with United Launch Alliance and have been moving rocket hardware for them for nearly 20 years. Our crew, handling agents and the ULA team follow well-documented procedures and know exactly what to do to ensure a smooth and timely delivery. On this occasion, the extreme weather conditions interrupted our planned schedule but we were still able to complete the flight as soon as Cape Canaveral Air Force Station reopened after five days in support of the November launch schedule.”

The rocket is going to launch the GOES-R spacecraft, a next-generation weather satellite that will be used to observe conditions over the U.S. from geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth. The satellite will help meteorologists more accurately forecast weather patterns.

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American Airlines Flight 383 departing Chicago, aviation fuel leak fireball, 43,000 pounds of fuel, "It was leaking,” said Chicago Fire Chief Timothy Sampey.

An “uncontained engine failure” with turbine fans seemingly breaking off and destroying the protective engine cowling caused a fire that ended with the aborted take off of an American Airlines Boeing 767-300 (N345AN) at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, federal officials who earlier searched the accident site on Saturday, have since confirmed.

Lorenda Ward, senior investigator National Transportation Safety Board, echoed our earlier speculative reports of a fireball,  "fire didn't breach the cabin of Flight 383, although some smoke did, the 'uncontained engine failure [UEF] ' ( UEF - this means the damage penetrated, destroyed and rendered useless the protective cowling) resulting in aviation fuel pooling directly under the plane’s right wing, which then promptly ignited and exploded" into a fireball.

About 20 people on the plane were taken to local hospitals, all had been discharged by Saturday evening.

Ms Ward said that an examination of one of the plane’s engines (CF6 Right) one of two Rolls Royce RB211-524H jet engines found a piece of the turbine (fan) had failed. Its not the first time a Rolls Royce turbine fan has shattered.

A fragment of the engine (possibly turbine blade shard) was later found in a UPS warehouse - some 2,900 feet distant - from the plane. Another piece was found about 1,600 feet away, and still on O’Hare property, she added.

The remnants of the engine part recovered so far have been sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C.

The runway on which the fire occurred, Runway 28 Right 10 Left, remained closed for cleaning as of Saturday evening but was to be reopened by 7 a.m. Sunday.

Dog named 'Lucky'++ escapes plane fireball....

https://twitter.com/grantkmartin captured the wing of the Boeing in its melted state due to the now extinguished fireball caused by the alleged fuel leak....

“A plane just taking off, going to Miami, was fully-loaded with 43,000 pounds of fuel, a substantial amount of fuel on the aircraft, and it was leaking,” said Chicago Fire Chief Timothy Sampey.

A fully laden American Airlines, a Boeing 767-300 (N345AN) on Flight AA 383 was destroyed on the runway 28R after a wing and right hand engine (CF6) was engulfed in a fireball during the runup to take off at Chicago O’Hare Airport on Friday.

Crew then rejected takeoff at high speed reporting "stopping on the runway", the tower acknowledged with "Fire", subsequently adding "fire from the right hand wing" the crew requested attendance of fire trucks.

Preliminary accounts suggest that all passengers, crew, a dog and a significant amount of hand luggage exited the aircraft down chute/slides, with only minor injuries, although some passengers were taken to hospital for checks and treatment.


The aircraft received substantial damage, the fuselage skin melted aft of the right hand wing, the outboard part of the right hand wing melted and is down on the ground, the inner part substantially burned.

The FAA reported the aircraft blew a tyre prompting the crew to reject takeoff.


The incident occurred at 3:45 p.m. EDT, on Friday, social media reported the large fireball seen on the runway. The Boeing 767-300 was departing for Miami International Airport, according to FlightAware.

Local media reports passenger Gary Schiavone was flying to Miami with his wife,  sitting in row 31 near the back of the plane when he heard the explosion.
“First it was a clunk, after the clunk the explosion, and then the plane stopped real fast and we all started exiting.”

Julian Bray aviation experts comments: The American Airlines crew are to be commended for correctly executing the well rehearsed emergency drill and getting all passengers AND A DOG off the striken aircraft within 90 seconds target.

But you still have to question the casual manner in which some adult passengers seemingly stopped others passengers, possibly less able, evacuating in order to pick up their cabin baggage and clear overhead lockers. Then when 'safely' on the runway, instead of getting well away,  paused and found time to take and tweet off reels of selfies and videos. 

American Airlines Flight 383 aborted the take off due to an "engine-related mechanical issue," a press release stated.

“You hear a loud blast on the right side people start screaming there was fire and smoke coming in,” said Hector Cardenas, who was sitting in the front of the plane.
 all 161 passengers, 9 crew members, and a dog, deplaned via chutes in less than two minutes.

Local sources report that within 90 seconds, fire crews were on station, laying fire retardant foam on the fireball.  

“A plane just taking off, going to Miami, was fully-loaded with 43,000 pounds of fuel, a substantial amount of fuel on the aircraft, and it was leaking,” said CFD Fire Chief Timothy Sampey.

20 people were taken to local hospitals. Of those adult patients, two suffering smoke inhalation - the rest minor injuries such as ankle injuries, scrapes and bruises.

A spokesperson for American Airlines released a statement which differs in the numbers involved:

American Airlines flight 383, a 767 bound for Miami, aborted take off due to an engine-related mechanical issue. The 161 passengers and 9 crew deplaned on the runway... 

All passengers onboard flight 383 have been bussed back to the terminal. Seven passengers and one flight attendant reported minor injuries and were transported to the hospital to be evaluated. We are taking care of our customers and crew and are re-accommodating our passengers on another flight to Miami this evening.

Later internet images posted by https://twitter.com/grantkmartin show the MELTED American 767 wing at O'Hare Airport still on the runway, and chillingly points out Aluminium melts at over 1200F.....

++ if not, the canine should be!

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Aviation Incidents October 27th 2016

Fedex MD10 at Fort Lauderdale on Oct 28th 2016, main gear collapse on landing, aircraft on fire A Fedex Federal Express McDonnell Douglas MD-10, registration N370FE performing freight flight FX-910 from Memphis,TN to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 2 crew, landed on Fort Lauderdale's runway 10L at 17:50L (21:50Z). Tower reported the left hand... Read full story »

American B763 at Chicago on Oct 28th 2016, rejected takeoff, fire at right hand wing An American Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N345AN performing flight AA-383 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Miami,FL (USA) with 161 passengers and 9 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from O'Hare's runway 28R at about 14:50L (19:50Z) when the crew... Read full story »

Aerounion A30B at Mexico City on Oct 27th 2016, repeated engine surges An Aerounion Airbus A300B4, registration XA-MRC performing flight 6R-300 from Mexico City to Guadalajara (Mexico), depared Mexico City's runway 05L and was climbing through about 10,000 feet when the left hand engine (CF6) suffered repeated engine... Read full story »

Canada B763 enroute on Oct 17th 2016, turbulence injures two cabin crew An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-FTCA performing flight AC-418 from Toronto,ON to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 186 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute at FL290 about 100nm eastnortheast of Toronto at about 21:15Z when the aircraft... Read full story »

Volaris A320 near Glasgow on Oct 28th 2016, loss of communication on delivery flight A Volaris Airbus A320-200, registration XA-VLX performing delivery flight Y4-9023 from Toulouse (France) to Keflavik (Iceland), was enroute at FL380 about 150nm northwest of Glasgow's Prestwick Airport,SC (UK) at 15:10L (14:10Z) when fighter... Read full story »

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Lufthansa subsidiaries Eurowings and Germanwings, on strike for 24 hours. 400 flights cancelled.

In  happier times....

On the 27th October 2016, flight attendants of Lufthansa subsidiaries Eurowings and Germanwings, unhappy with working  conditions, walked out starting a 24-hour strike. Their action forced the airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in Germany and across Europe.

The walkout affected airports in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Hannover and Stuttgart.

The strike was organized after Eurowings failed to agree on new contracts with cabin crew union UFO. The union also invited flight attendants flying with Germanwings, a company that is being merged with Eurowings, to join the action.

Eurowings is reported to have cancelled around 400 flights out of the 550 scheduled for 27th October.

Source Reuters

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IATA BUSINESS CONFIDENCE SURVEY POURS WATER ON HEATHROW EXPANSION

Latest IATA business confidence survey of airlines CFOs and heads of cargo. "A number of respondents noted the heightened uncertainty surrounding the future outlook at present, not least following the ‘Brexit’ vote in the UK. Nonetheless, the majority (71%) of respondents still expect passenger volumes to increase over the next 12 months, and the weighted-average score remains at a high level."  IATA Key points:    When surveyed in early-October as part of our quarterly business confidence survey, airline CFOs and heads of cargo reported that profitability was unchanged in Q3 2016 compared to the same period a year ago; The results from October’s survey also showed that industry heads continue to expect very little change in profits over the next 12 months, consistent with signs that the industry profitability cycle may have peaked; On the demand side, the responses were consistent with the modest moderation in passenger growth seen during most of this year to date, and were in line with an improvement in conditions for air cargo since early-2016.  Expectations for volume growth over the year ahead remain positive for both the passenger and cargo businesses; The majority of respondents reported an annual decrease in operating costs in Q3 2016, helped in some cases by the recovery of currencies against the US dollar. But given that oil and jet fuel prices have trended slowly higher since bottoming-out in early-2016, most respondents expect input costs to increase over the next 12 months; The outlook for input costs contrasts with expectations for yields and points to a more challenging profitability environment. In a reflection of strong competition and the subdued economic backdrop, over 90% of respondents expect passenger yields to remain unchanged or to fall further in the year ahead. On the freight side, ongoing increases in freight capacity are expected to continue to weigh on freight yields over the coming 12 months; Airline employment activity increased for the seventh consecutive quarter in Q3 2016. But respondents were more cautious about expectations for employment over the next 12 months than they have been in recent surveys. View full report

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RMT confirms ballot timetable for London Underground staff in dispute over jobs and safety

LATEST NEWS RMT confirms ballot timetable for London Underground staff RMT confirms ballot timetable for London Underground staff in dispute over jobs and safety. Read full article RMT confirms ballot timetable for London Underground staff in dispute over jobs and safety TUBE UNION RMT confirmed a ballot timetable today for nearly 3500 workers a week after the terror alert at North Greenwich put tube safety right back at the top of the agenda.  Station staff members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Unions (RMT) will be balloted for strike action and action short of strike action in an on-going battle over job numbers, the critical safety role of control rooms, forced displacement of staff, grading and a crisis resulting from London Undergrounds closure of ticket offices. The ballot will open on 1st November and close on the 15th November . 873 jobs have been removed from stations leaving staff unable to cope with the demands of running busy stations. Many station control rooms, where communication and alarm systems should be monitored, have been closed. A recent report, compiled by London Underground management, blames the job cuts and unstaffed control room for a serious incident at Canning Town station, when an evacuation spiralled out of control following an accident where a passenger fell between a train and platform. The North Greenwich incident has underlined the urgency of the current situation. Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary said, “London Underground knows that it has compromised safety and customer service across its stations by cutting jobs. A responsible employer would reverse the job cuts and put staff back into station control rooms. If London Underground really cares about passengers it would reverse the ticket office closure programme”. “The continuing impact of those cuts leaves us with no alternative but to move to a ballot for industrial action and the terror alert at North Greenwich last week has confirmed the urgency of the current situation and the nonsense of axing station staff. “The union will be campaigning for a massive YES vote in this ballot and we remain available for talks”.

AEROKLAXON: FLYBE CEO EXITS BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT

Exeter-based airline Flybe has announced that  CEO Saad Hammad has by "mutual agreement" stepped down from his role as chief executive officer  A search is on for a new chief executive officer.


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Aviation Incidents October 23rd 2016 Slat problem, fumes injure cabin crew, smoke in cockpit.....

Gol B737 at Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo on Oct 23rd 2016, slat problem A Gol Linhas Aereas Boeing 737-700, registration PR-GIN performing flight G3-5472 from Belo Horizonte,MG to Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP (Brazil) with 125 people on board, was climbing out of Belo Horizonte when the crew stopped the climb at FL190 due to... Read full story »

Germanwings A320 at Berlin and Hamburg on Sep 30th 2016, fumes injure cabin crew A Germanwings Airbus A320-200, registration D-AIQC performing flight 4U-8460 performing flight 4U-8460 from Berlin Tegel (Germany) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was preparing for departure. While being pushed back strong odour of hydraulic oil and... Read full story »

Lufthansa A319 at Paris and Frankfurt on Aug 5th 2016, fumes injure 3 cabin crew A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AILU performing flight LH-1053 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany), was preparing for departure. When the engines were started a strong odour developed in forward part of the... Read full story »

Canada A333 at Montreal on Oct 17th 2016, smoke in cockpit An Air Canada Airbus A330-300, registration C-GHKR performing flight AC-420 from Toronto,ON to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 258 passengers and 9 crew, was descending towards Montreal about 45nm before touchdown when the crew reported smoke in the... Read full story »

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A380 -800 TOXIC SMOKE INHALATION PUTS 25 CREW AND PASSENGERS INTO HOSPITALS

A British Airways Airbus A380-800, (G-XLEB) on flight BA-286 from San Francisco, USA to London Heathrow, UK with 433 people on board, was at flight level 370 about 640nm east of Vancouver, Canada, when the crew declared a medical emergency.


The aircraft diverted first to Calgary, Canada, then to Vancouver reporting both crew and passengers were feeling sick due to fume inhalation on board citing  "toxic gasses" then Captain reported they were also "low on fuel". The A380-800 landed safely on Vancouver's runway 08L about 105 minutes later. Ambulances took 25 occupants to local hospitals.

Vancouver Hospitals reported 25 patients, 20 crew and 5 passengers, suffering from smoke inhalation have been taken to three hospitals in Vancouver. 20, all of them members of the crew, were later discharged.


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New Heathrow runway to be bridged over M25 and elevated above house roof level ...

Picture: BBC

The new Heathrow runway  - if it ever gets to the shovel ready stage - is already set to face a mountain of legal challenges, direct action, and endless Judicial Reviews at every stage of its slow disjointed progress through the planning system - is now set to be 'bridged' over M25 and the rest of it elevated above house roof level. this is the latest daft idea to be floated in the media, this morning.


We say daft as aircraft prefer to land on level runways  and taxi on level taxiways. To accommodate a rise or drop of 8 metres will require a greatly extended circular gentle gradient riser access to the new runway above.

Water run off has to go somewhere, why not the gridlocked M25 below the new Heathrow runway?






The Times reporting an old industry chestnut, are suggesting the new Heathrow runway will be raised some 8 metres above the existing motorway interchange, leaving the existing road network well alone and the  M25 runway 'bridge' section put in place at the last minute.


Harmondsworth village however apart from the pub, a church and a few properties will be raised to the ground, as most of it will be within the new airport perimeter, if not actually under the runway itself.   We say this is an old chestnut, as the first above the houses idea was mooted in the 1950's for an imaginative runway 'X' scheme over Kings Cross railway station. 


The idea to leave the M25 alone and just build over and effectively around it, won't work unless there are permanent water pumping stations in place, just as they operate in Holland, to deal with water run off during wet weather and at all other times as the water table along the entire length of the new runway and surrounding aprons will be unnaturally depressed. 
 


The water will have to run off somewhere and that would seem to be the unintentional reservoir being created by the M25 bridging plan for the new runway. The water NATURALLY finding its own level, will run off to the gridlocked M25 motorway network below the proposed runway.


Cast your mind back to the Wimbledon tennis championships when a flash cloudburst and flood dramatically filled pedestrian tunnels as Cliff Richard sang to the waterlogged spectators above....


It is already known that Heathrow will be installing a covered levy network to convey floodwater run off to areas surrounding metropolitan London with the result that residential property some fifty miles away, which to date has been free of flood incidents, will now find their properties drop substantially in value, as they are suddenly in a flood risk area, only revealed when the Environment Agency get around to updating the flood risk maps or sewage seeps over the doorstep.


Fort Lauderdale Airport is held up as being near to the Heathrow elevated runway concept. We cannot see it, what do you think?

   

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CITY AIRPORT TEAR GAS INCIDENT ARREST MADE

BBC News are reporting that a 25-year-old man has been arrested after a chemical alert that led to the evacuation of London City Airport.

It saw about 500 people evacuated from the terminal on Friday - some suffering with breathing difficulties - and the temporary closure of the transport hub.


The suspect was held on Saturday accused of "using a noxious substance to cause serious damage".


He has since been released on bail until late November.


The force said in a statement: "The man, 25, was arrested at a residential address in east London and taken to a west London police station.

"He was arrested on suspicion of using a noxious substance to cause serious damage - an offence under section 113 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001."


Two people were taken to hospital during the alert and 25 others were treated at the scene.


The airport's closure led to travel chaos as all flights were suspended, with several incoming flights being diverted to other airports.






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OFFICIAL: Heathrow third runway gets the go ahead 11:30BST Tuesday 25th October 2016

+++ HEATHROW THIRD RUNWAY APPROVED +++ 
+++ OFFICIAL +++

Julian Bray writes: After a number of well placed leaks early this morning, a government notice was rushed out, confirming the third runway for Heathrow. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling drew the short straw to deliver the government line.  

The official notification will be to Parliament in a Commons Statement later today. 

We can expect an avalanche of legal challenges from areas and communities due to disappear under the tarmac.

In fact, it's suggested Heathrow and the surrounding M25 road network might not be fully open for business for another fifteen years.

It is also expected that Gatwick will in any case press on with its own privately financed runway project and that could be up and running before Heathrow!

We live in interesting times.....ideally both Heathrow and Gatwick should expand. That alone will temper the Heathrow project as profitability projections will have to be revised.  But then who would ever sanction that?  



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THERESA MAY MP HEATHROW EXPANSION UPDATE

Oooops.........awkward...





Just when it was all going so well....

Greenpeace UKVerified account ‏@GreenpeaceUK 57m57 minutes ago

.@theresa_may might have deleted her critical speeches ahead of the #Heathrow announcement but there's always this....

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IATA CONFRERENCE: Principles to Manage Aviation’s Security Challenges. Speed is need to heasd off threats

Principles to Manage Aviation’s Security Challenges Speed is needed to keep a step ahead of threats Kuala Lumpur - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on industry and governments to work together in an even stronger partnership to provide durable solutions to aviation’s security challenges. These efforts, which must be based on common principles, include such areas as overflying conflict zones, landside security at airports, insider threats, cyber security, harmonization of PNR (passenger name record) and API (advance passenger information) requirements and airport checkpoints. "Aviation is the ‘business of freedom’—a catalyst for social and economic development that improves people’s lives. Paradoxically, the good that aviation brings also makes it a target for terror. No single entity has all the answers. That’s why partnerships are essential to address our major security challenges with the speed needed to stay a step ahead of those who would do our industry harm. These efforts must keep four common principles in focus: risk-based measures, the implementation of global standards, capacity building to support the mutual recognition of standards, and information sharing among governments and with industry," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. De Juniac’s comments were made in an opening speech to the 25th AVSEC World conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AVSEC World is being hosted by Malaysia Airlines and jointly presented by IATA in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Airports Council International (ACI). Principles and Speed Four principles to guide the cooperative security efforts of government and industry were elaborated: Risk-based measures to ensure that limited resources are applied where the threats are greatest. Information sharing among governments and with industry to enable effective risk-assessments. The implementation of global standards in security systems worldwide to support effective collaboration between all parties in all locations. Capacity building supporting the mutual recognition of standards to improve effectiveness and efficiency. De Juniac also emphasized the necessity of speed in keeping the industry secure. "Speed is of the essence. Threats emerge quickly. And they evolve fast. The four principles will help us to address the threats and challenges we face, but only if we move quickly enough," . Applying the Principles to Our Main Challenges IATA identified six priority areas for addressing security challenges: Conflict zones : Timely and accurate information is needed to support risk-assessments when overflying conflict zones. "The ICAO conflict zone information repository was an initial step. But it is not the solution. We need to evolve to a system that can function on a continuing basis with a free and fast flow of useful information. Information sharing is not just about conflict zones. If a government has any information about a risk to an airline’s operation, sharing it with the airline could save lives. There is a responsibility to get that information to the airline quickly and by effective means," said de Juniac. Landside security in airports : Recent attacks in Brussels and Istanbul have brought this vulnerability to the fore. Local authorities must use intelligence to keep terrorists far away from airports and keep public areas free from threats. In parallel the industry is working on solutions to reduce risk by processing passengers more quickly. Insider threats: "With eight million people employed in air transport, the threat from insiders is a real challenge. The perfect vetting system has yet to be invented. So intelligence analysis—from governments—is our most potent tool to identify threats especially from radicalization," said de Juniac. Cyber security : Nimble layers of protection—security culture—and advanced detection capabilities are needed. All of these must be powered by intelligence and information sharing. Cooperation with governments and across the industry is essential. Harmonization of API and PNR information requirements : Airlines contribute to intelligence gathering through the collection and provision of API and PNR information. Global standards exist for the collection and provision of this information. These are maintained by IATA and the World Customs Organization, and ICAO.  "Despite the global standards for API and PNR, there are still far too many exceptions on what data is collected and how it is transmitted to governments. The complexity does not make us more secure. In fact, it could lead to risk. The situation is already difficult enough. And it could get much worse. There is already an impasse on PNR and European data privacy requirements which puts airlines in a difficult situation. Moreover, there is no overall international agreement spelling out obligations for handling the exchange of such information," said de Juniac. Security checkpoints at airports: Airport checkpoints must be both effective and convenient—the goal of the joint IATA-ACI Smart Security initiative. "Processes have improved, but can still be inconvenient and even intrusive. Smart Security is helping with a growing footprint at airports. But we need to see much faster progress," said de Juniac. Real threats "Security is fundamentally a government responsibility. But making flying ever safer and more secure is engrained in the DNA of all air transport stakeholders. Governments and industry are working together to strengthen our defenses with integrated solutions in the face of evolving security threats," said de Juniac. In September a UN Security Council Resolution noted that, "terrorist groups are actively seeking ways to defeat or circumvent aviation security." The resolution affirmed that "all states have a responsibility to protect the security of citizens and nationals of all nations against terrorist attacks on air services operating within their territory". Source IATA NEWS RELEASE

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