Airports are set to introduce a raft of new screening measures around terminals in the wake of last week’s terror attacks in Brussels, which could add hours to check-in times.
ISIL said it carried out the suicides attacks on the city’s airport and metro that left 31 dead and 300 wounded last Tuesday.
Now airports worldwide are reviewing landside security and screening procedures, which could have a dramatic effect on the design of the areas in and around terminal buildings where passengers arrive before checking in.
“We do foresee spending on security and surveillance at airports becoming the focus in the coming months. We may also expect knee-jerk steps being taken, which may inconvenience travellers, airline staff, flight crew and arriving and departing flights,” said Mark Martin, the chief executive of Dubai’s Martin Consulting. “Given the world situation at the moment, clearly we need to comply.”
Analysts say the extra costs associated with new security measures will be a blow to the aviation industry, which had this year hoped to emerge from a prolonged period of turbulence helped by falling aviation fuel bills.
Airports and airlines already spend heavily on terminal security measures. Airport Council International Europe, which represents more than 500 airports in 45 European countries, estimates security costs between its member airports run to €4.2 billion (Dh17.2bn) a year.
"The danger to the aviation community is that imposing blanket security restrictions will hit the operational pace of airports, hinder the flow of goods and people, and cause economic damage to the airline industry," said Ben Vogel, the editor of IHS Jane's Airport Review. "That in itself would be a kind of victory for terrorism."
In western Europe, public airport areas are relatively open when compared to the Middle East and Africa, where travellers’ documents and luggage are often checked before they are allowed inside the airport building. Istanbul and Moscow also check arriving passengers at terminal entrances. Dubai International Airport declined to comment on security issues, while Abu Dhabi International Airport was not immediately available for comment.
Covert explosives-detection technologies installed around the entrances to terminal buildings might be one of the measures that airports will consider after last week’s suicide attacks in Brussels, Mr Vogel said. Additional passenger screening at the terminal entrance is another measure that could be undertaken, effectively pushing the security search zone further into the landside areas.
Such measures could require major physical reconfiguration to the terminal, with significant associated costs that would also extend the time needed to process arriving passengers.
“Airports, airlines and regulators know that security is still the single biggest stress point for passengers, so they need to consider their next steps carefully in the light of the Brussels attack,” Mr Vogel said.
Such measures might effect secondary airports more than the region’s so-called super-connector hubs including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, where a large proportion of passengers are in transit.
Addison Schonland, the founder of the US commercial aviation consultancy AirInsight, said passengers will have little choice but to accept the changing realities of air travel and factor in the extra time needed to catch a flight accordingly.
“Passengers will simply have to get used to things such as profiling and inspections. It is annoying and slows things down. But the alternative is way worse,” he said.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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Available: Now
MATCH INFO
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The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
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Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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