The representative body for the global airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), has launched an online tool to assist airlines to manage and mitigate security risks. It is called the Security Risk Intelligence Portal. This has been developed for the association by its strategic partner, MedAire.

“Safety and security are the industry’s main priorities,” highlighted Iata security director Matthew Vaughn. “The Security Risk Intelligence Portal (SRIP) provides up-to-the-minute security incident data that will make aviation even more secure. This includes biosafety and conflict zone information which will be particularly timely as airlines re-start operations amid the Covid-19 crisis.”

The purpose of SRIP is to reinforce the sharing of information, in real time, between airlines, air navigation (air traffic control) service providers and airports. The information provided by the airlines will be supplemented with open-source information (including bulletins, media reports, notices, prohibitions and warnings). 

The result will be a comprehensive overview of safety (including biosafety), security and operational incidents in the vicinity of airports. This will allow each and every airline to make its own informed operational decisions regarding the management of security threats.

Iata is also working with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (a specialised agency of the United Nations) and individual countries to increase the amount of security information sharing. Such sharing is critically important in conflict zones, as shown by the tragic shooting down in January of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 by an Iranian Revolutionary Guard surface-to-air missile, shortly after it left Teheran for Kyiv, killing 176 people. 

“To be sustainable, flying must be secure,” stressed Iata senior VP: airport, passenger, cargo & security Nick Careen. “The Covid-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented levels of cooperation among all industry stakeholders, including governments. … SRIP is an important opportunity to continue that cooperation with the common aim of building an even more secure industry. As aviation restarts, we must retain this spirit and extend it to all areas of safety and security.”