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The Impact of the 9/11 Attacks on Modern Aviation The Impact of the 9/11 Attacks on Modern Aviation The September11, 2001 attacks motivated major improvements in the security system of modern aviation. During this event, 19 militants linked to al-Qaeda, an Islamic radical group, hijacked four airliners before committing suicide attacks against their target, the United States. One of the planes crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., another one crashed in Pennsylvania while two of them crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.

The resulting destruction and deaths were imminent. In fact, more than 3,000 people lost their lives, which included over 400 firefighters and police officers (History.Com Staff, 2010). Given these detrimental consequences of the attack, a revolution in the modern aviation was ineluctable. This discussion will establish the impact of the 9/11 attacks on the contemporary aviation with a keen interest in the changes that have been put in place in this respect.Prior to the 9/11 an attack, the “Common Strategy” tactic was employed in the case of aircraft hijacks but were no longer effective after the striking event.

The “Common Strategy” involved complying with the hijackers because most of the hijacks entailed the plane being flown to a particular destination after which the hijackers made their demands, such as ransom. As such, compliance was the sure way of surviving hijackings. However, in the 9/11 attacks, the hijackers neither made any demands nor did they allow for negotiation and this meant that the mundane tactic was inapplicable. Given this, the modern aviation security system has been altered to accommodate suicide attacks, such as the 9/11 attacks.

Passengers and crew members have been encouraged to consider the risk of cooperating and resisting the commands of the hijackers by not only considering their interests but the people on the ground as well. Pilots and flight attendants now undergo intensive training in self-defense and anti-hijacking training aimed at baffling bombing and hijacking (Sheehy, 2004). Besides, Air Marshalls have been added to the crew in order to forestall hijacking. Cockpit doors have been fortified and made bullet prove to deter hijackers from taking control of planes (Woodruff, 2011).

These novel improvements to the aviation security system stem from the lesson learned in the 9/11 attacks.Airports security checking systems were proved to be weak, and major changes were inevitable. Before the attacks, private companies conducted the screening of passengers under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the laxity of these security checks that led to the success of the attacks necessitated the establishment of the Transport Security Administration (TSA), the largest federal commence since World War II.

TSA conducted passenger screening with imaging technology improvements that peer underneath clothing. In addition, passengers are now passing through the screening without shoes so as to ensure that explosives are not hidden in the shoes (Woodruff, 2011). What is more is that the modern aviation security system has included the shooting down of hijacked planes as a way of preventing the events of 9/11 from reoccurring. George Bush, the then president, believed that the plane that had crashed in Pennsylvania was shot down following his directive.

However, it was found out that passengers had stormed the cockpit and thus causing the crash after learning of the attacks of the other hijacked planes (Meikle, 2010). The fact that this airplane did not reach its ultimate target has been adopted as a strategy to avoid colossal destruction and deaths when a plane is suspected to have been hijacked. U.S. fighter pilots undergo special training on how to shoot down commercial airliners that have been hijacked, Albeit as a matter of last resort (BBC News, 2003).

Without doubt, the lessons from the 9/11 attacks have helped modern aviation develop into a more secure transport system than it has ever been before.ReferencesBBC News. (2003, October 3). U.S. Pilots Train Shooting Civilian Planes. Retrieved from History.Com Staff. (2010). 9/11 Attacks. History. Retrieved from Meikle, J. (2010, October 29). George Bush Thought 9/11 Plane Had Been Shot Down On His Orders. The Guardian. Retrieved form Sheehy, G. (2004, June 21). 9/11 Tapes Reveal Ground Personnel Muffled Attacks. Observer. Retrieved from Woodruff, J.

(2011, September 8). Drastic Changes in Airport Security after 9/11 Stir Controversy. PBS . Retrieved from