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Giovanni Bisignani: “Look what happens at the airports. One bag, two bags, liquids, no liquids. Duty free shop yes, duty free shop no.” |
INTERNATIONAL. Delays and confusion caused by ever-changing aviation security legislation and requirements are costing the airline industry dear, International Air Transport Association CEO Giovanni Bisignani said yesterday.
Speaking to the The Montreal Gazette after giving the keynote speech at an IATA conference on safety and operations, he said that global aviation security was an “uncoordinated mess”.
Unlike global standards in airline safety – which led to IATA this week reporting record-low accident rates for 2006 – security measures can vary from airport to airport, Bisignani said.
While air passenger traffic is growing globally by +5% annually, lengthy delays because of poor screening are costing the industry passengers.
“Look what happens at the airports. One bag, two bags, liquids, no liquids. Duty free shop yes, duty free shop no,” Bisignani told The Gazette.
“What is the cost of this? Millions. It’s a hassle factor that the passenger cannot understand and cannot tolerate anymore. We have made the industry more secure but we do not have a common vision to move forward together.”
Bisignani blamed poor communication between governments and the failure of the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to bring its 192 member countries together.
“We are in the middle,” Bisignani said of his association, which represents major airlines. “Security is a government responsibility. Our role… is to build a bridge between parties that are not able to communicate in an effective way.”
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