"The Future Of Baggage Screening"

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

The Future Of Baggage Screening
Air Safety Week


"Processing 550 passengers per [Airbus] A380 in multiple numbers will
initially put a severe strain on any aviation security screening system,
particularly the existing U.S. aviation security system," argues Billie
Vincent, an aviation security expert who heads Aerospace Services
International, an aviation security company with a global clientele. "Where
two or more of these super-jumbo aircraft depart within a short period, it
will intensify the peak traffic period problems associated with security
screening of passengers and their carry-on articles and the security
screening of their checked bags." 

The airplane goes into service in 2006, the same year the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has decreed that all checked baggage on
international flights be screened: 

"From 1 January 2006, each Contracting State shall establish measures to
ensure that originating hold baggage intended to be carried in an aircraft
engaged in international civil aviation operations is screened prior to
being loaded into the airfact," according to ICAO, Annex 17, Standard 4.4.8 

In a comprehensive new paper, Vincent shows that the Europeans have achieved
faster processing times by relying on advanced X-ray processing, while in
the U.S., only systems based on computed tomography (CT) have been
certified, which are slower. Attempts to garner Transportation Security
Administration approval for the European-style system have failed. The
result, and the implications for the A380, are evident, he says: 

"The U.S. policy is readily apparent at the U.S. port of entry as all
transfer bags coming off incoming aircraft have to be screened using the
U.S. certified EDS [explosive detection system] absent a U.S. approved EDS
operation at the point of departure of these aircraft. An example of this is
at one of the U.S. medium category international airports, where six West
Pacific originating wide-body aircraft are scheduled to arrive between 11:00
and 14:00 daily. If the early wide-bodies are delayed, or the later
scheduled aircraft arrive early, the airport experiences multiple aircraft
arrivals, each containing up to 400 passengers and as many as 600 pieces of
transfer luggage that have to be screened prior to being loaded for onward
travel in the U.S. domestic system. These situations are the prelude to the
future with multiple arriving and/or departing A380s, each with 800 or more
checked bags." 

One thing is clear: the two competing systems (European, U.S.) have produced
a split in the world aviation community's approach to checked baggage
screening systems. To be sure, the European approach is not as strict or as
expensive as the U.S. approach. Vincent offers this example: 

"As an example, one U.S. airport with 26 million passenger annual
enplanements in 2004 has a total of 44 U.S. certified EDS units ... A
non-U.S. international airport with 30 million annual enplanements in 2004
has installed a multi-stage European concept checked-baggage screening
system with 30 high- speed [advanced X-ray] systems with 8 downstream U.S.
certified EDS units. The rough order-of-magnitude equipment-cost comparison
between the U.S. airport and the non-U.S. airport is $41.8 million versus
$18.5 million." 

Nevertheless, Vincent wonders if "the rest of the world can benefit from
U.S. accomplishments, avoid its errors and mistakes, and provide the level
of security the current terrorism threat demands." 

The high demand placed on the aviation security system by the coming A380
suggest one of two ways of reconciling the differences between the U.S, and
European approaches: 1) make a change to one or the other system in a
logical manner, or 2) hope that with the continued advancements in EDS
technology that the two concepts will merge. (Vincent's paper, "Planning for
the New Generation Large Aircraft, Substantial Increases in Passenger
Traffic and Checked Baggage Screening Systems Effectiveness Versus
Efficiencies," may be viewed at www.asiwebsite.com/BaggageScreening.pdf

Contact Vincent via e-mail at: bhv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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