Security Issues Related to the Expansion of the City Airport - Research Paper Example

Security issues related to the expansion of the city airport Abstract An airport construction or expansion is an import project. It implies with all the internal company organisation and with external agents. It’s important to define and categorize all those factors in order to control and measure their risks and uncertain. The security manager role is very important in an airport organisation. The security manager main goal is to guarantee the security of the public and airport staff, ensuring that all the requirements are being fulfilled. The purpose of this paper is to present a report for the city airport expansion from the Security Manager point of view. The report attempts to respond to critical questions related to the airport expansion security and implications. This paper emphasizes the importance of the a deterministic analysis in order to measure all the factors that could influence and be influenced by the airport expansion. Security issues related to the expansion of the city airport In post 9/11 world the security and protection are increasingly challenging tasks. Managers and business leaders have an important role, especially the security managers. The city airport is a busy airport operating close to its capacity. The expansion project includes the construction of a new runway and terminal. This is not an unusual situation, many other airports around the world. In this paper is presented the lessons learned with Chicago and Minneapolis airport expansion The implications related to an airport expansion are several. They are related to political issues, construction and environmental and demanding during the operation ( Neufville, 2008). From a Security Manager perspective produce a report about this project. This report will respond to the following questions: What are the full range of risks faced? What should the security strategy be? What additional security products and services might be needed? What special organisational structures might need to be created? What can be learnt from comparable projects that have occurred? What links might be developed with the public policing agencies, media and interest groups? Is there scope for security to be organised and arranged to bring financial benefits to the company? Would you advise the Board to reconsider their decision? In order to improve the efficiency in the process of decision making is important to define and measure all the benefits and risks of the airport expansion. It’s recommended a SWOT analysis. Risks Faced The airport expansion has associated major sources of uncertain and risks. “In the current climate, long-term forecasts cannot be developed with any degree of confidence. On the contrary, as has been extensively documented, forecasts of airport traffic today are ‘always wrong’.” ( Neufville, 2008). As said the expansion of the airport will the constructed on the adjacent land which is currently a small forest. Next to it there is a country park popular with local residents, which includes: children’s play area, lake with ducks/swans etc, football pitches. There is also a housing estate next to the park and forest with over 1500 residents. The proximity with the existing infrastructure implies some risks to the success of the project. The risks and uncertainties over the life span of the expansion, could be divided into three major groups: - Political issues and Government policy; - Construction and environmental; - Demand during operation. Political issues and Government policy The project of the airport expansion requires government and local authority permits. These processes are intrinsically related to the decision taking process those entities. Therefore the delays in the decision taking process are a risk. When depending on the decision of those authorities the project could be affected by too many advances and drawbacks. The economic interest from interested groups may cause additional debate. It could lead into an additional public discussion and studies and finally the delay of the whole process. The choice of the expansion of an airport is very much a political issue. Therefore instability in the government might lead to changes in the project. The whole site that is planned for the airport expansion is a small forest. So there is the need for expropriations which represents another risk factor. It must be emphasized the fact of the site actually is a forest. The opinion of the environmental community is critical. Therefore the cost of the licenses and the uncertain of a positive decision is higher. Construction and environment The site for the new airport currently includes a small forest. So the land will be deforested. The cost associated with this operation and its implications within the environmental issues is a risk. It will reduce the green area in the region and many species could be affected. Depending on the environmental report it could lead to increase the costs related to the ecosystem protection. It’s frequent a degree of uncertainty associated with these costs. The expansion airport will take place in a lake area. So it requires also geological analysis before any construction takes place. Even with a good geological plan the uncertainty will persist and additional costs may occur. The foundations of buildings and runways requires a hard soil. Therefore the need of deeper excavations or alternative foundations solutions is a risk. The draining capacity is also a risk and could be require expensive solutions, to avoid possible water accumulation. The construction nearby a residential area and a park popular has some implications. In general people claim for the noise, the decrease of the air quality and the deterioration of the quality of the environment. Therefore it represents a risk for the success of the project. Demanding during the operation Is important analyze the risk associated with the uncertainly of the demand during the operation. Many factors could affect the demand, like the oil prices, the technological advanced alternatives and terrorist attacks. The increase of the oil prices affects directly the cost of travelling by air. On the other hand the improvement of the technological alternatives as Videoconference with 3D Telepresence and holographic, could be a real alternative to travel. The terrorist attacks have influence and consequences in case of worldwide shock effects similar to those of New York 9/11. Attacks are unpredictable and they could have mortal consequences. There is a negative impact at near and long term. Security Strategy A weak security could pose a threat to the safety of the aircraft. The terrorist attacks are increasing around the world and have modified the policies of the airports on how to ensure and protect people. Also nowadays they have different types of action: car suicide bombing, man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), improvised explosive devices (IED), ambushes, hijacking, kidnapping or hostage taking, attack with armed hands, hacking and information warfare. There is a need to take immediate actions to reduce the likelihood and the impact of future attacks. On a plan for an airport expansion this action should be taken in consideration. The Airport infrastructure’s security is governed by local regulations. At international level the standards are the “ Security – Safeguarding International Civil Aviation against Acts of Unlawful Interference” , by the International Civil Aviation. The European Civil Aviation Conference is responsible for improving the international rules into a more details standard and to organize the inspection of the airports. In the US the Code of Federal Regulations is the standard applied by the Transportation Security Administration. On the national level each country implements the international standards respecting the country law. Finally each airport respecting the international and national standards and taking into account the airport specificities, formalizes the rules with the “Airport Security Master Plan”. With the expansion of the airport the “Airport Security Master Plan” should be reviewed and amplified to the new runway and terminal. In this document the following topics should be discussed: . Security organization. . Aircraft safety . . Airport security standards, operational audit and compliance. . Technical standards and recommended practices . . Critical assets and security measures. The security strategy in the “ Airport Security Master Plan” should be based on three factors: organization, human factors and technologies. A security plan should define by a working group which includes aircraft operators and tenants, local emergency response agencies, aviation security and any other regulatory officials. Therefore should be identify some stakeholders within institutions as: Airport Law Enforcement (Customs, Police, Intelligence, Military), Emergency Response Agencies, Safety authorization agencies (fire, building), Operations and Maintenance Personnel, Freight and mail operators, Catering suppliers. Also the application of the physical security equipment and structures (barriers, access control, screening, and detection equipment) should be planned in the security strategy. It’s important to emphasize the physical security equipment only meet the security goals if supported by similarly effective human procedures. The human procedures may include: . Access and identification media systems; . Personnel security training and procedures; . Maintenance training and procedures; . Supervision and vigilance. It’s important to research into the local police (or the military) information about criminal activity on or against property under the control of the airport, and conduct crime prevention assessments in cooperation with appropriate law enforcement agencies. The use of prevention information programs is also necessary to provide an efficient security service in the airport. Additional Security Products In general security awareness requires new products and new procedures as: written material (instructional or advisory material, agreements, security policies and procedures, posters etc), audiovisual material, formal security briefings, integration into line operations, inside and outside experts. In an airport expansion project is necessary the acquisition of additional security products and diligences into the local police. The main important tasks that should be developed regarding the security of the airport expansion are: . Review the airport security master plan; . Identify stakeholders and corporation within the law enforcement agencies, Emergency Response Agencies, Safety authorization agencies (fire, building), Operations and Maintenance Personnel, Freight and mail operators, Catering suppliers; . Acquisition of physical security structures; . Definition of effective human procedures: identification (ID) media systems, personnel security training and procedures, maintenance training and procedures, as well as constant supervision and vigilance; . Security intelligence and information programs; Organizational Structure Needs The organization of the project airport expansion is one crucial phase. For this phase is important to create a special work team, which main goal is to manage properly the project. Therefore is important discuss and defines responsibilities. At the highest level is the Steering Board. At this level analyzes the project performance review and operational expertise. The Steering Board should be advised from external advisor group. This group should contain operational experts from the various partners and stakeholders. Their recommendations must be based on the latest progress reports and documentation hence they should have access to all persons participating, and all documents that are being developed. Reporting to the Steering Board should be the one Project Manager with supporting staff, communication and marketing and a working group specialized on each sub-project: concept elements, training, technical implementation and concept validation. The Project Manager is the executive responsible for the project: budget, time, technical aspects and quality. Project Manager will organize the supporting staff. The staff includes people who can deliver and communicate the project needs to any internal or external organization. The Marketing and Communication is another important task for the success of the project. Lessons Learned from comparable projects Chicago Airport O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is a fundamental part of the global airline network. Because of Constraints on traffic at O'Hare was decided the airport expansion. In 2001 the proposed expansion plan consists in the construction of a new single runway and the "relocation" of three others. The land nearby the airport suffer an increase of the residential use. Therefore the approval of the construction of airport expansion within the local authorities is critical for the success of the project. The municipalities around O’Hare airport didn’t see the airport project as a benefit to their communities. For them the airport presence has more negative aspects regarding the noise and other quality life aspects than positive as the creation of jobs. Also the demographic aspect is important: many municipalities have little residents and the increase of noise could reduce the population number. By the exposed the correct choice of the airport expansion location and the correct links within the local municipalities are critical for the project success. Minneapolis – St. Paul airport In 1996 was decided to expand the St. Paul airport with an additional runway and an enlarged terminal. One of the most discussed risks was the economic impact. However the regional economic impact was not addressed to their spatial distribution. The analysis of the economic benefits to places that would feel the negative effects of expansion, was not taking into account. With the airport expansion were created many imbalances between airport benefits and disbenefits: commercial/industrial land use, some regions were penalized without benefits. These aspects will affect future airport expansion decisions. London – Heathrow airport Colin Buchanan and Parters were commissioned by GLA to provide an independent work to analyze the expansion of Heathrow. GLA was concerned about the socioeconomic consequences of providing additional airport capacity. They conclude that the use of the existing runways should be more efficient and also the user benefits, values of time, demand forecasts should be analyzed in order to determinate the real benefits of the airport expansion project. Regarding the location the work concludes that an expansion of the Heathrow airport could create more social and economic benefits than in another London airport. On the other hand the environmental issues are more affected in the Heathrow expansion than expansion in other London airports. The work concluded also that are some topics that are not very clear: the airport accessibility and the need for additional capacity. This case study reveals the importance of a detailed analysis of certain items in order to make a good decision in an airport expansion appraisal. Links and Stakeholders By the exposed is very important the creation of links and stakeholder within the proper entities. Policing Agencies The links within the policing agencies are especially important for the security actions. These entities have important information about criminal issues. Information related to the local criminal activity, against property under the airport control is critical for the security performance. Therefore the links and the identification of the correct stakeholders in the policing agencies is an important task to develop in an airport expansion project. Media The media has actually a big impact on the public opinion. It can influence and shape the perception of the public. They can reach into the minds of different individuals. As said the expansion of an airport is related to the government and local authority's decision. Therefore the public interest and opinions is critical for the project. An airport expansion is always a theme of discussion and critical opinions from the people affected and the public an opinion. So the right way to communicate decisions and the project development is important to shape the opinions and the perception of the project. Interest groups The environmental issues and the decrease of the life quality in the residential and country park are the most critical risks. Also a deforest of the small forest is a concerning. Therefore is important to create links with the institution related. Environmental groups, the municipality and the owner of the central park are interest groups in this project. It’s important to analyze what are the benefits of the airport expansion to those people and how the disbenefits could be minimized. Without this balance and the efforts to create relationship within these groups it’s more difficult to develop the project. Security VS Financial Benefitts “There is a vicious circle of low profitability leading to low spending on staff training and low pay, leading to high staff turnover and high recruitment costs “ (Security Industry Authority, 2003: 16). Typically schemes for accreditation and training are understood as a cost and not an investment. On the other hand if we focus the analysis on the business security the opinions could be different. Gill M. 2010, founded that more than a half of the clients (53,1 %) agreed that ‘Private security adds value to our business”. The security in an airport could not be a separate activity. It should be defined as an integral role in the delivery of the service. It happens when the airport security is organized and oriented to the corporate objectives. The financial benefits are intrinsically related to the client's satisfaction. Since11st September that the security role in the airport has been grown. People know that the risks are real. The preference for safest service is real. Therefore if the security service does not bring confidence to the passengers the demand will decrease and so the success of the project. The value of having the security organized in an airport expansion is more than financial. This value is related to the service delivery and it’s the issue that brings the most value to the client. Board Decision Making The decision of an airport expansion is an important decision. It has implications in the internal organization, with the municipalities around, with public interest and certain groups. Therefore should be done an intensive analysis of this decision, defining the pros and cons. An efficient method to be used is the SWOT analysis, in order to measure the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of each category. In the airport expansion the categories that should be analyzed are: . Attractiveness to the local community; . Economic benefits; . Configuration; . Land expansion; . Position of the local authorities; . Position of the government; . Benefits to the local industry; . Future Demand; Since all these variables were measured and analyzed the board is in a position to make a good decision. Discussion and Conclusions This paper aimed to respond to critical questions related to the airport expansion security and implications. These questions are related to the risks, security strategy and additional security products, special organization need, lessons learned from comparable projects, identify stakeholders and the financial benefits, in an airport expansion. The risks and uncertain of this project are related to the local power authority, land use, environmental issues and demand. To develop a security strategy is important an “airport Security Plan” based on three factors: organization, human factors and technology”. All these factors should be analyzed and defined in this plan. To apply the plan is important the acquisition of additional security material. For the implementation of the project is important to think about the organizational structure needs. An airport expansion is an important project and it requires the creation of a special work team, which main goal is to manage properly the project. Projects with this dimension have several implications. In order to reach success it’s important the development of links and stakeholders within policing agencies, media and interest groups. The policing agencies have information about criminal activity which is important for the security efficiency of the airport. Media has the power to control and shape public opinion, so it’s important to have a good relationship with them. The expected interested groups in this project are the environmental groups and municipalities. They are directly affected by the airport expansion. It’s important knowing their preoccupations and minimize them. The security service is definitely an important part of the service deliver. The investment in the efficiency of the security services brings financial benefits. By the exposed there are several aspects that should be analyzed in the airport expansion decision. To improve the decision process it’s recommended a SWOT analysis. The factors selected for this analysis are: attractiveness to the local community, economic benefits, configuration, land expansion, position of the local authorities, the position of the government, benefits to the local industry and demand. Their strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats should be carefully analyzed in order to make a good decision. References Airport CDM Implementation, Edition 1.0, 2012,EUROCONTROL. Alexander, D. (2004). Business confronts terrorism: Risks and responses. de Neufville, R., 2008. 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