Security has always been a concern for those operating in Africa. In some ways, the pandemic has made things more secure on the continent as people’s movements are more restricted and protocols more closely adhered to. Although the amount of traveling public has significantly reduced, security agents have intensified their efforts at checkpoints to ensure COVID-19 is contained. This has resulted in an increase in security personnel to monitor and control the situation. However, there are emerging concerns that while focus and attention are shifting to addressing public health threats, less attention may be paid to conventional aviation security threats. The UAS Africa team works on the ground throughout the continent to ensure clients and their aircraft are protected. Here are some of their insights.
Security threats to operations in Africa
Security threats in aviation have generally been minimal in Africa and for many years there have been few reported cases. These are usually concentrated in specific areas that have larger underlying national security issues. The threats differ from country to country and can be categorized as follows:
Insurgent groups operate mainly in Somalia, Northern Mozambique, and some parts of West Africa and are often affiliates of international terrorist organizations wishing to expand their territories. They include Al Shabab, Boko Haram, and ISIS. They normally make random attacks on civilians in major cities. While attempts at attacking airports and aircraft have been made in the past, they have never been successful.
Instabilities in conflict zones and other troubled areas in Africa have resulted in the emergence of local militia and armed groups. These groups are always seeking soft and profitable targets in areas such as Northern Mali, North Eastern Nigeria, Somalia, and others.
Cybercrime including software attacks, theft of equipment or information, credit card theft, and information extortion.
Security breaches at airport access points due to corruption or inadequate enforcement and compliance by authorities of security policies, SARPS, and ICAO recommendations can be related to lack of funds or inadequate training and technical expertise.
Increasing airport traffic without corresponding growth in capacity building, technology, equipment, and infrastructure to deal with the growth and accompanying threats leaves a huge gap open to exploitation by opportunistic groups to threaten operations.
Implications for ground handling
The stringency of security measures differs between airports and in some countries, the security checks could extend the check-in time by more than an hour. In many cases, extensive security checks can be disruptive to passengers and crew especially when similar checkpoints are placed within a few minutes of each other.
Access control for specialized vehicles into the airside could also affect handling services and result in delayed delivery of services. These include ground ambulances taking patients to the aircraft and specialized equipment like cranes that are normally sourced externally for specific cargo off/on loads. On the other hand, poor access control could result is crimes being committed at the airport affecting passengers and crew.
Cyber insecurity can result in flight delays occasioned by failed internet-based systems. These could affect the transmission of flight messages including load sheets and flight plans. It can cause confusion at check-in when passengers find their bookings missing or interfered with.
Threats could also imply possible disruption of air services such as distribution of critical medical and relief supplies in conflict zones and disaster areas, as well as commerce.
Finally, lax security can facilitate criminal activity and compromise lives, aircraft, and equipment in the event of any attacks.
Don’t miss our next blog on how to minimize and mitigate risks for operators on the continent.
UAS can provide you with optimal security throughout the African continent.
For information on UAS Risk Mitigation solutions, click here.
For support with your operations to Africa, contact UAS.
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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