Aerospace Diary

This article by Alex Pop talks about how airport security is changing. As the levels of terror around the world continue to increase, airports and public facilities have had to adapt with more advanced screening equipment.  It would be of interest to readers that wish to know advances being made to combat terrorist threats, and increase public security.  Security screening equipment has had to continually change and upgrade as airports, businesses and civil institutions have had to adapt to changing threats. As technology evolves, so does its capabilities for causing harm. The security industry has had to advance accordingly. Today, a variety of security equipment all across the world are being deployed with advancements that allow for better and faster detection capabilities. Bigger Threats Leads to Better Security Equipment Air travel is a prime target, and oftentimes the first thing people think of when they think of security equipment. Metal detectors, fu...

Security Neelam Mathews, New Delhi  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 01 June 2016     Belated efforts are under way to improve airport security in India, after an official report identified a number of vulnerabilities. In December 2015, a parliamentary standing committee on airport security noted that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - "the only specialised force for aviation security" in India - was not protecting 27 major airports. Those facilities are guarded by other agencies such as the Central Reserve Police Force, India Reserve Battalions, or state police, bringing uncertainty over the standard of security provided. The report also mentioned a "deficiency of security gadgets" and inadequate CCTV coverage of sensitive areas at airports throughout India, concluding that "aviation security has not received the attention it deserves". Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight conten...

Neelam Mathews   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 21 August 2014   The TSA is going to provide technical assistance and host visits of Indian aviation security officials to its testing laboratories. Credit: TSA Key Points Rapiscan and L-3 will have the chance to showcase their technologies to the AAI and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security As the aviation market in India grows, new airports will require investment in security equipment to meet international aviation safety and security standards A USD200,000 security co-operation agreement under the Aviation Co-operation Program (ACP) is to be signed between the US Trade Development Agency and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) later this month or in early September 2014,  IHS Jane's  has learned. Under the Aviation Security Equipment Testing and Evaluation Program, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will provide technical assistance and host visits of Indian aviation security o...

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  MAY 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS May 6, 2014, 3:30 AM Indian helicopter operators have asked the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) to revoke a new requirement making pilots personally responsible for conducting security checks on passengers. Ahead of India’s long election campaign, which ends this month and involves extensive use of chartered helicopters by politicians, the  DGCA sent out a directive that obliges pilots to personally search passengers for guns and other illegal items. They are also required to enforce restrictions on charter customers bringing additional passengers on flights at the last minute, a common expectation for election campaign flights. The Rotary Wing Society of India ( RWSI ) lodged a complaint with the  DGCA  after a helicopter pilot and one of the operator’s mechanics were allegedly beaten up by aides working for an unidentified politi...

Neelam Mathews Jan 7, 2012 The Indian government finally saw sense in permitting passengers to enter airports by showing a soft display of air tickets on their smart-phones, tablets and laptops, we hear. Ofcourse, one suspects, there might be a bit of a revenue loss for airlines that had started charging Rs 50 for printing out tickets for those of us in a memory-loss mode!  Currently, it is mandatory for travelers to carry printout of the e-ticket along with their valid identity cards to enter into the airport. How fast this will filter down to the security guys checking at the gates, one will have to wait and see. Suspect, smaller airports will face introductory teething woes for a while.

Neelam Mathews Dec 17, 2012 Credit-Guardian Pakistan's  Interior Ministry has issued a red alert for all airports in the country and directed them to further boost their security. The red alert was issued in the wake of attack at Peshawar airport on Saturday night during which ten terrorists were killed.

Neelam Mathews Dec 4, 2012 An EgyptAir made an emergency landing at Hurghada airport yesterday after a snake bit a Jordanian passenger who had concealed it in his luggage. How it passed security is not known. The accident was reported to the pilot, who requested emergency permission to land in Hurghada. The passenger was taken off the plane for medical treatment, and the snake was confiscated. The flight then, continued to Kuwait.

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  DECEMBER 3, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Asia Pacific Airlines Association, led by director general Andrew Herdman, wants a fundamental rethink of air transport security. December 3, 2012, 12:50 PM The Asia Pacific Airlines Association ( AAPA ) has called for a shake-up of aviation security management in the region, arguing that the current approach–accounting for 25 percent of total airport costs–is inadequate. “What we have today is nothing short of a ‘mistrusted traveler program’ with 100-percent enrollment,” said  AAPA  director general Andrew Herdman at the group’s 56th annual Assembly of Presidents last month. “Harsher critics have characterized current passenger screening procedures as ritualistic ‘security theater.’ We need a fundamental rethink [and] to break free of the current mindset that by default treats every passenger as a potential terrorist.” Herdman also ...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 30, 2012 One of Airport Security-

and Indigo passes small package test Neelam Mathews Aug 14, 2012 Realized yesterday when I was at Cochin airport how serious the red alert -hear there's an advisory that a family of four might be planning to hijack a plane- is being taken. I thank God- or shall I say the MHA for that. Even the woman security officer confessed she was confiscating water bottles carried by women and children she generally permitted them to carry (!). God have mercy on us aam admi when there is no red alert! However, sometimes things can be downright ludicrous in India. I was carrying masalas (spices) I bought at the shops at the airport and of the10 packets, only 3 were pulled out of my bag by security. I was told to check them in as the ingredients included red chillies! I have never tried throwing masala into anybody's eyes sans the chillies- but I suspect it could cause a lot of harm too! Who am I to argue with gun-toting ferocious looking guys with a look that says it means busines...

Opinion By- Subhash Chandra Agrawal (Guinness Record Holder & RTI Activist) Silence of Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on ‘the mystery woman in red’ marching in front row of Indian contingent at inaugural function of London Olympics is equally mysterious, especially when Indian Olympics Association (IOA) has officially lodged a complaint in this regard. It is even more significant that the woman was prominently highlighted in the shortest 22-second TV-coverage of marching Indian sportspersons in largely-viewed ceremony across the world. There are many possibilities about the mysterious woman including also her being some close relation or friend of some prominent Indian personality, bureaucrat, diplomat or politician. Matter affects security of Indian sportspersons at a time when sword of global terror and militancy hangs over London Olympics as well. Union government should also report the matter at Interpol. MEA should take up both the matters...

Credit- Unisys

Money No Object As India Raises Defense Spending Defense Technology International Jan 01 , 2010 , p. 48 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India ramps up procurement Printed headline: Buying Power India’s defense budget for 2010-11 is expected to rise 20% from the previous fiscal year. Factors influencing this include the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, tension with Pakistan, security for India’s 7,600 km. (4,722 mi.) of coastline and the need to protect ocean shipping, an economic lifeline. “There is no limit to security expenditure,” a defense ministry official tells DTI. “Whatever is asked for, is given.” The memory of the Mumbai attack has put the government under pressure to procure more and better equipment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated that security modernization is crucial to economic development. With this in mind it is not surprising that in 2009, Israel, a country with long experience in security, surpassed Russia as India’s leading arms supplier. India purchased air and...