Aviation Security in the Skies of The Star of Bethlehem

     For those of us who have worked in or engaged in diplomacy for the region it has been a tense and frustrating year for the Middle East.  It certainly has not been the best year overall for Middle East airlines.  Tourism to Egypt isn't exactly making a come back.  With much of the "Arab Spring" turning into an Arab "Time of Troubles" and as we enter the Christmas Season this year and approach the New Year of 2013 the skies of the Star of Bethlehem and over the lands of the Children of Abraham...where Jesus was born and lived, the Prophet Mohammad recited and preached and the City of David and Solomon, are all, as they have been for decades the center of strife.  Syria is in the midst of a tragic Civil War; Israel is under siege; Shia and Sunni are at odds; the President of Egypt is being called a New Pharaoh and Iran is seeking a nuclear arsenal.  However, even with Damascus' Airport all but closed, and crowds demonstrating in Tahrir Square there are bright spots on the Arabian Peninsula - prosperous and growing airlines and prosperous and thriving cities. 
     Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways, to name the main ones, are now contenders. (I hope to see comments from executives from airlines such as Oman Air, Saudi, Jazzera etc. to remember them!)  They are strategically located with their hubs in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai on the Arabian Peninsula and central to connections to and from Europe, Central Asia, Africa, South America and the Far East and Australia.  The cities and countries they fly from and are based in are almost literally oases of peace and commerce.  As in real estate, these airlines are doing well because of the location, location, location  of their bases.  Their networks can funnel passengers from all over Europe and the Mediterranean and Africa beyond the Gulf Region eastward and vice versa.   (On a recent trip to South America I was amazed to see throngs of Argentine passengers boarding an Emirates flight to Sao Paulo and beyond.) Generally, these airlines and their countries are safe - and secure.  (Emirates is even a leader in Aviation Security training.)
      This, however, does not mean that those charged with the security of air transport in the region can be complacent.  One thing is certain - geography is not a static factor.  The GCC states and their airlines as now being in the major league crossroads of air commerce, much as Europe became in the 1960's and 70's and 80's face a wider spectrum of challenges.  In addition to the dangerous factions lurking on the periphery of the Arabian Peninsula, sectarian strife, the Israeli-Palestinian situation, rumblings in Central Asia, Aviation Security  (AVSEC) professionals concerned with the area, whether they are in Doha, Riyadh, Chicago, Islamabad, Moscow, Delhi, Canberra or Frankfurt now have to be very concerned about cybersecurity, cybercrime and cyberterrorism based in Nigeria or Russia or New York.  I won't speculate on the cyber horrors that integrated Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Security Management Systems (SeMS) will have to deal with in the area of flight operations for fear of giving the bad guys food for thought. 
      One thing is for sure, 2013 will continue to be full of challenges. AVSEC professionals based in the region have hopefully considered the effect of geopolitical strife on aviation prosperity in their region and hopefully have crisis management and recovery plans in place integrated with their national military and civil defense contingencies.  Instead of Icelandic volcanoes those interested in "macro"  AVSEC in the region need to think about conflict and missiles in the Straits of Hormuz.  At the micro level they need to be concerned with the same passenger facilitation issues that our United States TSA does.   God bless and keep those men and women of good will and all faiths and nationalities who are doing their best to keep our skies and travels safe whether it is for Christian pilgrims visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; Catholics the Vatican or Fatima, Moslem hajis making the Haj to Mecca, or Haddasah Ladies from Great Neck visiting Israel.

Stormy Skies in the Middle East - and Beyond

     The Arab Spring is turning into the Arab Summer with storm clouds and sand storms across the region from the Maghreb to the Levant.  What has become a civil war in Syria has been joined by strife in Libya and Anti-Western unrest in Egypt.  Americans need to get one thing straight:  The attack on the consulate in Benghazi and the murder of the Ambassador and other three Americans does not represent any swell of Libyan government or indeed popular hatred of the US.  The attack was a classic insurgent tactic to seek to discredit the moderate elected government and to drive a knife into the evolving relationship between Libyans and the US.  There were a lot of nasty people left in Libya after Qaddafi.  Similarly, the extremist demonstrations against the US Embassy in Egypt are in essence Egyptian civil strife with extremists having the same aims as those in Libya.  Despite the goal of extremists of restoring the Caliphate, the unrest in the region does not represent any unified Islamic attack on the West or the United States.  That being said, now is not the time to plan a vacation to see the Pyramids in Egypt or Roman ruins or beaches in Tunisia. 
     The events of the past week are another game changer at least for the region - and also beyond. Travel safety and awareness for airlines and their customers now requires a new set of threat assessment paradigms for airline security professionals.  The immediate, indeed long range, threat to civil aviation is changing.  US flag carriers especially will need to be more vigilant, not only in flights to the region when service normalizes but also in flights originating elsewhere such as Europe, Southeast Asia, and Subsaharan Africa.  The excellent Mideast carriers noted for their outstanding customer service such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar will need to demonstrate to potentially timid US travellers that they are serious and vigilant about security.  (Note to travellers:They are.)  Security professionals are aware of that, but the average traveller might not be.   Airlines need to review their Safety Management Systems (SMS) and associated Security Management Systems (SeMS) to incorporate current threat assessments and awareness.  This is especially true as airlines automate more and more customer service (on some US airlines that will remain unnamed here almost an oxymoron) functions and avoid personal contact with passengers.  Sure, using online check-in and that kiosk might be convenient, but does it make you any safer or secure?
     Those contemplating or needing to travel to the Arab World should pay close attention to the State Department's web site www.state.gov  for travel advisories for the region.  Operators of business, air charter, and other corporate aircraft into and around the region need to pay close attention to their security support staff , and if they don't have security threat assessment support that is familiar with the region they need to obtain it quickly. There are some travellers - academics, journalists, and business travellers, for example, who will have to travel to the region - again they should check the State web site but also call the State Department directly...and confer with the embassy of the country they plan to visit.  Airlines need to be forthright and honest on their web sites about security issues.
     As stated above, the current situation represents "game change" in the region as long as there is civil strife - that is what this is, not a burst of Anti-Americanism.