European Business Aviation Association chief executive Brian Humphries says he is worried that business aviation could be subjected to security requirements designed for scheduled airlines, despite the huge difference in the volume of people handled and the radically different relationship between the business aviation customer and the aircraft operator.
The countries that pose the greatest threat are the UK, France and Germany, according to the EBAA. London City Airport's service delivery director Alan Medlock says his airport has to pay £7 million ($14 million) a year for a police presence in addition to costs for normal airport security. London City runs its own fixed-base operation for business flights, which make up about 15% of total movements, he says.
But the European Civil Aviation Conference says: "Industry self-regulation on security is not acceptable in Europe," comparing it with what it sees as an unsatisfactory US model. Humphries says the EBAA wants to see European regulators provide the framework rules for security provision, then allow state transport departments to work with the business aviation industry.
Under present rules, security operatives are required to be full-time specialists. For the business aviation community, which handles ad-hoc operations and manages comparatively small numbers of people, suggests Humphries, dispatchers or fixed-base operator staff should be authorised to carry out security screening and baggage scanning.
The EBAA's Pedro Vincente Azua says there is a chance the European Commission will settle on regulations that exempt aircraft of less than 10t weight or put them in a lesser category.
Source: Flight International
