Airport security measures represent more hassle than they are worth, are not consistent between countries and are devised to protect the public from “improbable threats”, the head of the global airline and travel body said yesterday.
In a speech in Washington, Giovanni Bisignani, director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said that the $5.9 billion (£2.85 billion) a year that airlines spend on security represented “more hassle than value”, with safety procedures devised out of fear, even though the level of threat is unchanged.
Mr Bisignani said that airline passengers faced a “security gauntlet that is inconsistent” across different countries: “Shoes on or off? One bag or two? Laptop in or out? How can we expect them [passengers] to have confidence in the system?”
He argued that the airline industry was swamped with bureaucracy and that the process of devising security procedures had been determined by politicians in an environment in which airlines were battling bureaucracy instead of fighting terrorism. He added that airlines were ill-equipped to cope with the fallout from the financial turmoil in the global credit markets during the summer.
“The credit crunch throws a shadow over the economic expansion that underlies our good performance. Airlines are $200 billion in debt and we could be heading for a downturn,” Mr Bisignani said.
The rising cost of aviation fuel, which has increased fourfold since 2002, was also squeezing airline profitability and limiting investment: “Around 35 per cent of the US fleet is over 25 years old,” he said.
The credit crunch is expected to affect the ability of airlines to buy new aircraft with lenders more cautious and three-year waits at Boeing and Airbus for planes.
Mr Bisignani said that he was expecting trouble from airline staff in the United States this year: “As the industry shows even fragile profitability, labour starts to look for a free lunch. Already we have seen strikes from France to Japan. Several key US contracts will be negotiated next year. If labour pursues an agenda as an irresponsible adversary, our common future is limited.”
The IATA said that for the first time since 2000 the industry as a whole would move into the black this year, to the tune of $5.6 billion.
European carriers have managed to recover with combined profits this year of $2.1 billion as a result of growth in long-haul markets, particularly for business travellers. That contrasted with Asian carriers, whose profits have dropped to $700 million.
Mr Bisignani said that the lack of investment in airport expansion and improvement would threaten global economic growth. He said that congestion would worsen if investment was not made, with 620 million more passengers taking to the skies each year by 2011, on top of the 2.2 billion who flew this year. The IATA attacked plans in the US to introduce a congestion charge for flying at peak times, arguing that it would not work because air passengers cannot choose a different form of transport.
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