HELEN MORRISSEY
Security has always been a priority at Farnborough International and this year's event will be no exception. Extra measures and changes on-site will ensure that the 2002 airshow will be the safest ever. All visitors will undergo airport-style security checks which involve walk-through metal detector arches and hand-searching of bags, while all vehicles entering the site will be thoroughly searched by security staff.
Fewer cars will be allowed on-site. From the 4,000 of previous events, the number has been cut to 1,200 vehicles which will be parked on a central exhibition car park. Those unable to gain on-site parking can park at special car parks located off-site and catch shuttle buses to the event. The buses will run continuously, departing about every five minutes from 7am until 7pm during the show.
Passes
Eight different types of passes have also been issued, covering categories including visitors, contractors and emergency services. The brightly-coloured passes should make it easy for visitors to distinguish between different personnel. Hampshire Police undertook in-depth checks on applications before passes were issued.
"Obviously we pitch security at the level of perceived risk at the time and we are happy with what we've done so far," says Andy Coulson, Farnborough site manager.
"People will also realise that decreased amounts of traffic travelling to the site means that traffic queues will be less than before."
There will also be a large police presence on-site. This will make it easier to conduct a full counter-terrorism search prior to the show. Many on-site facilities will also be searched daily throughout the event.
Source: Flight Daily News
