Air transportation represents a vast field of operations that require precise control within different departments and possible issues. The airline industry has to consider numerous aspects of transportation, including proper design of the routes, weather, registration procedures, employees’ expertise, and others. Air safety and security is the essential area of air transportation that plays a critical role in the trustworthiness, reputation, and performance rates of every business within the field. The National Transportation Safety Board states that safety is integral, and “nothing takes a higher priority, and nothing is more carefully evaluated” (Wensveen, 2015, p. 113). Consequently, it is possible to state that air safety and security impose challenges for professionals in the air transportation field and require rigid rules to implement the most efficient measures and strategies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aspect of air safety and security and discover and evaluate existing regulations within this area.
First, it is crucial to identify the concepts of safety and security within air transportation and distinguish between them. Air safety and air security both concern the protection of the individuals taking air transportation, but are directed at different aspects. Air safety is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is related to the possible errors or accidents with the aircraft or its operation (“Aviation safety and security information,” 2020). Thus, air safety is directed at the protection against the incidents connected to the air transport design or construction, and its maintenance and operations. Air security is regulated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and it is related to the protection of the aircraft and the individuals in it against malicious acts (“Aviation safety and security information,” 2020). Therefore, air security targets its activities towards the prevention measures from acts like terror attacks, and air safety ensures the aircraft reliability as safe transportation mean and the professionalism of the crew.
The paragraph above establishes the primary focus of the air safety field. As a measure of achieving the objectives of providing safe air transportation to the individuals, specific regulations and acts exist in the industry. One of the standards that the FAA includes is the Pilot Record Improvement Act (PRIA) that ensures the background reliability of the potential candidates for pilot positions (Culmone, 2018). It is possible to notice that the pilot hiring process represents one of the crucial parts within the air transportation area because the safety of the flights directly depends on their expertise and trustworthiness. Another significant FAA provision is the Anti-Drug and Alcohol Misuse Prevention program that aims to make sure that the pilots are sober from any of the substances and are in their clear mind (Culmone, 2018). It is the initiative that shows the significance of the pilots’ actions and the efforts that the industry makes to have the most reliable professionals that do not present any potential harm.
In such a way, one can see that, to ensure air safety, the FAA is implementing different programs and regulations directed at the aircraft operator hiring process, their reliability, and professionalism. Besides, the FAA imposes rules concerning the time limits on the flights, provides the requirements for training, and conducts health check-ups to make sure that pilots have strong mental and physical health (Culmone, 2018). All those guidelines and requests are directed at providing the safest transportation mean to the individuals and the aircraft crew. Assurance of employing the right candidates and continuously working on their knowledge and proper training are integral in the air transportation field because the pilots are the ones who are responsible for the aircraft operation.
Although the pilots’ selection process and ensuring their further reliability play an integral role in air safety, it is essential to remember about the aircraft design, manufacturing, and maintenance processes. The FAA has numerous safety programs, including the Aircraft Certification Systems Evaluation program, Suspected Unapproved Parts, Whistle-blower Protection Program, Aircraft Ground De-icing, and others (“Airline safety,” 2019). Besides the mentioned programs, there are different safety systems and regulations directed at making sure that there are no mechanical malfunctions, system errors, or manufacture failures. The FAA conducts various analyses and inspections to evaluate air safety. For instance, it integrates cabin air quality analysis, runway safety, turbulence awareness, human factors in aviation maintenance and inspection, airport obstacle analysis, or international aviation safety assessments (“Airline safety,” 2019). Hence, the FAA considers all possible aspects of potential dangers or emergencies and carefully addresses each issue through the regulations, programs, and investigations.
The next aspect of air transportation is air security, which, as established above, is related to the protection against malicious acts. According to Price and Forrest (2016), the primary purpose of air security “is that security agents should strive for maximum effectiveness in their area of responsibility” (p. xxiv). After the dramatic events of 9/11, the TSA was created to strengthen the security of the aviation industry (Culmone, 2018). In such a way, security measures in the airports and concerning the employees and passengers are taking rigidly and occupy a substantial place within the air transportation field. The TSA takes numerous steps aimed at ensuring the security of the airports and aircraft. Among them, there is the installation of detection systems for explosives, drugs, or other materials, screening of the employees and stricter identification protocols, the implementation of watch lists, and others (Culmone, 2018). Thus, the authorities seek to protect the air transportation environment and avoid potential dangers.
Besides ensuring the safety of the airport, it is critical to guarantee the trustworthiness of the employees. The air safety is concerned about their expertise and health, while the air security pays attention to the pilots’ background check and their ability to perform protective activities. In addition to the pilots’ screening, the TSA established the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program that provides firearms training to the pilots and grants the right to carry the weapons during the flights (Culmone, 2018). One can say that giving necessary preparation for the pilots and ensuring their awareness of potential dangers and the ability to act under the circumstances are critical for the air security area. Moreover, those, who are responsible for security measures, should “deploy systems, measures, and procedures to counteract both terrorist and criminal perpetrators” (Price & Forrest, 2016, p. 27). Therefore, it is significant for all the parties involved in security provision to be prepared for different types of threats.
Thus, the TSA undertakes different airport screenings, conducts individuals’ checks, establishes specific regulations concerning luggage, and performs other activities directed at creating the highest security level possible. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is also actively involved in air transportation security measures. For instance, it is currently working on raising “the baseline for aviation security” globally through the implementation of enhanced measures, “both seen and unseen” (“Aviation security,” 2019, para. 1). Hence, the department strives to implement more rigid regulations among international airports. The measures involve the improvements in the passengers’ screening, the increased screening of personal devices that the individuals carry on board, and enhancing security protocols (“Aviation security,” 2019). Consequently, the security process in air transportation represents an ongoing mechanism that continuously aims to implement improvements and prevent any potential threats.
A crucial element in air safety and security is the cost of integrated measures and procedures. Without any doubt, the regulations directed at ensuring a safe and secure environment of the aircraft for its passengers and crew members imply substantial costs. An example can be the establishment of an explosive detection system in the airports required by the TSA. Besides the cost of the machine, it is crucial to consider the costs for power, space, and workforce (Price & Forrest, 2016). Consequently, placing screening-baggage equipment to comply with security regulations becomes costly for airports. It is one example of the potential expenditures to fulfill all the regulations and measures, but it is integral to the safety and security of air transportation.
In conclusion, air safety and security are close concepts, but each of them is related to different areas of air transportation. In such a way, air safety is directed at the aircraft design and ensuring pilots’ expertise and proper health. In contrast, air security is connected to the protection from possible attacks and related acts. Each of the areas is controlled by the entities that establish the regulations and necessary measures. Air safety and security are critical elements in air transportation because they are directly related to the protection of passengers from possible dangers that can have different causes.
References
Airline safety. (2019). Web.
Aviation security. (2019). Web.
Aviation safety and security information. (2020). Web.
Culmone, C. (2018). Safety vs. security: Is there a difference? Web.
Price, J., & Forrest, J. (2016). Practical aviation security: Predicting and preventing future threats (3rd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Elsevier Science.
Wensveen, J. (2015). Air transportation: A management perspective (8th ed.). Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company.