The 9/11 attack in New York in 2001, followed by fear of terror attacks against European airports, led to a considerable increase in the level of security in aviation. Procedures were introduced to prevent dangerous objects and people with evil intentions from gaining access to the departure gates.
Changes in society have led to new realities which aviation now have to face. The tragic events in the United States are probably the clearest example of the complex political picture which forms the backdrop of global security work today, says Kenneth Pedersen, research fellow at the University of Stavanger, and a member of the research group
Equal security measures
Experts in risk management and societal safety at UiS, together with the International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) were in 2007 allocated funds by the SAMRISK Program at the Norwegian Research Council to investigate the level of security in Norwegian civil aviation. This is to be done through the project "The social determination of risk critical infrastructure and mass transportation protection in the Norwegian civil aviation sector."
Why do risk calculations at the big European airports determine security at outpost airports in Norway? What consequences must follow from the fact that Røst airfield and London Heathrow Airport play the same roles as port of entry to the European aviation area? These are two of the questions to which the research team will contribute more knowledge.
Tools for risk management
The research project will undertake studies of risk management in aviation and, in cooperation with Avinor, develop practical tools for risk management, says associate professor Ole Andreas Engen at the Department of Media, Culture and Social Studies.
Leader of the project is Professor J. Peters Burgess at PRIO, while Engen is the project leader at UiS. The project also has an international researcher network and a reference group with members from Avinor and the Norwegian Aviation Agency. UiS research fellow Elise Anonby Olsvik and PRIO research fellow Nina Boy participate in the project.
International rules
In 2005 Norway became member of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which is EU's agency for civil aviation safety. This means that all security work at Norwegian airports must conform to European specifications. The idea is that there must be systematic control at all ports of entry and frontiers. When the passengers are inside the security lock, they can travel on without any obstacles.
Together with other changes in society, a higher degree of internationalization represents a challenge for the industry, Petersen says.
Crews go through security checks
In order to keep up with current requirements for security, considerable resources seem to be needed. It is therefore a question of how much we are willing to pay for our own security, Petersen says. Current procedures comprise not only control of travellers, but also of crews who have to go through the same check. Pettersen thinks that the project will contribute added knowledge to understanding the consequences of this development.
We may be undermining fundamental values which aviation is based on, and trust is one of them.
Pettersen underlines that the goal is that the investigation will contribute to providing the foundations for risk management and the development of regulations in European aviation.
Text: Thomas Bore Olsen
Photo: Håkon Vold
