AVIATION SECURITY

Aviation Security



Aviation Security

The aviation security is one of the key issues for the aviation industry these days. The airline industry has grown up to seven percent in the last decade. Official air carriers of most of the countries have accounted over one and a half billion travelers last year, due to a spurt in tourism and business. However the last few years have been difficult for the aviation industry. The attacks on World Trade Center on 9\11 and the consequent security delays in the airports dealt a major blow to the aviation industry. (Elias, 2003)

Although airports security has always been tight, but the 9\11 attacks woke the people up to the harsh reality that it was not tight enough. Therefore, the two key ways through which the aviation security can change over the next decade are the backscatters Advanced Imaging Technology units (AIT). This technology projects an ionizing X-ray beam over the body surface to produce an image that resembles a chalk-etching. It requires a passenger to stand in between two box panels; low-dose radiation is emitted from the panels to the body, mainly to the scalp during the scan. Then this image is sent to an assigned agent in another room protecting the passenger's privacy to ensure the anonymity of the image. If the agent finds a threat, he or she can call another agent to inspect the image further. The second technology is an active millimeter wave scanner which is a whole body imaging device that can penetrate clothing to expose hidden threats, but do not emit harmful radiation. (Morris, 2002)

Knowing the current airport security rules and regulations is important for saving time and eliminating stress during air travel. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has changed the guidelines for some requirements during post-September 11 times. ...