Airport Security, Immigration & Border Control

[Aviador]

Related topics can be posted here. Please be reminded that this is a public forum. Do not post things that could hinder airport or airline security.

 

[Aviador]

Edinburgh Airport ‘dodgems’ workers fined

Two airport workers who played ‘dodgems’ with luggage vehicles around planes at Edinburgh in February last year have been fined. Kris Ralton, 24, and Gary Crawford, 28, were seen driving round in circles and deliberately crashing into each other at an aircraft stand.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that Ralton's leg had been injured in one of the collisions between the giant vehicles, which do not go above 20 mph. Sheriff Derrick McIntyre criticised their ‘dodgem-type behaviour’, saying it was potentially hazardous and dangerous. The pair were both fined £1,250. Both have also lost their jobs.

Source

 

[Aviador]

Boys will be boys. This could have turned into something quite nasty. Only last year a man was ingested into the engine of a parked aircraft at an airport in Spain. Had any of the parked aircraft been damaged by their irresponsible behavior, this could have had a more sinister outcome than a fine and the loss of their jobs.

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]Edinburgh Airport reopens after 'suspicious package' fears

Check-in and security areas have reopened and are operating as normal.

Passengers have begun re-entering Edinburgh Airport following a security incident earlier on Monday afternoon.

Check-in and security areas have reopened and are operating as normal.

The airport was evacuated on Monday afternoon following the discovery of a suspicious package. The main terminal’s check-in area, food court, and domestic arrivals were all said to have been cleared.

Passengers arriving from international flights were held in the arrivals area. Hearts FC players were among those hit by the delay. The footballers were due to fly out to Germany for training and four friendly fixtures.

BAA security staff began re-screening evacuated passengers, and BAA is working hard to ensure a return to standard operations as quickly as possible.

However, the airport warned passengers due to fly out on Monday evening to expect disruption to flight schedules.

Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.

A statement on BAA Edinburgh’s website read: “Edinburgh Airport is open and fully operational. However, due to an earlier security incident there continue to be some delays at Edinburgh Airport.

“Passengers due to fly from the airport today are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline.”

"Passengers due to fly from the airport today are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline."

Edinburgh Airport recently enjoyed the busiest day in its 30 year history, bucking a trend that has seen passenger numbers at most UK airports decline.

New figures showed that Scotland's biggest airport enjoyed its busiest day ever on June 26, recording 35,899 passengers.

The previous record of 35,782 passengers had been set on June 29, 2007.

According to the airport, 93% of outgoing passengers cleared security in less than five minutes, with security lines no longer than ten minutes.

Earlier on Monday, Lothian and Borders Police Headquarters at Fettes was evacuated after the discovery of a suspect package.

The item was later determined to be a hoax in my opinion and police have launched an investigation.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]Edinburgh Airport laser incidents increase

Police have warned of an increase in the dangerous practice of shining lasers at planes coming in to land at Edinburgh Airport. There have been ten cases of the lasers, which can temporarily blind pilots, being aimed at planes in the last eight months.

Officers are hunting those responsible for the attacks, which can force pilots to cover their eyes when coming into land. On each occasion, a powerful laser pen – which can focus a green beam of light several miles – has been used.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]PM urges Edinburgh Airport to reconsider security job move

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said Edinburgh airport must take security seriously. The call came after it was announced that the airport has axed its dedicated security chief despite the growing threat of terrorism. The responsibility for security operations will instead fall to the terminal manager in charge of day-to-day airport running.

Mr Brown was responding to concerns raised by Liberal Democrat MP John Barrett, who represents Edinburgh West. He questioned the wisdom of the move, but a spokeswoman for the airport said a similar arrangement was in place at Glasgow Airport, and that security and safety were a priority.

Mr Barrett asked the prime minister: ‘Edinburgh Airport, which is very close to [Mr Brown's] constituency, announced this week that they are planning to abolish the post of head of security. Will he contact BAA and the Civil Aviation Authority to find out what's going on?’

Mr Brown replied: ‘The important thing is that BAA and Edinburgh Airport take seriously their responsibility for security and I think we're both agreed exactly on that and every airport in this country will be responding to the demand for these tighter security measures.’

The move to axe a dedicated security head has been criticised by aviation security experts. Norman Shanks, former head of security at BAA, told the Scotsman newspaper: ‘This seems odd. The two jobs of security manager and terminal manager go hand in hand, but usually you would have different heads. There will need to be safeguards to ensure there is no compromise as a result.’

Source[/textarea]

 

[User0001]

That sounds similar to what happened at an airport in the North of England where the Customer Service Manager now doubles up as the Airport Security Manager.

I don't think it is a good thing at all because it creates too many conflicts of interest, for instance, during heightened security restrictions the Customer Service Manager come Airport Security Manager apparently fines the contract security company for having queues that are effectively caused by the heightened security.

They use a bluetooth system that tracks passengers mobile phones and works out how long they have been in the queue. So whatever the restriction implemented by the Department for Transport, the contract company still gets fined. Similar systems are also in place at many UK and US airports.

 

[lbaspotter]

Hi

There was security breach at Edinburgh Airport last night that caused the airfield to close for up to 2 hours. As a hole was found in the perimeter fence by local police.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13954635

Hole in fence at Edinburgh Airport disrupts flights

Edinburgh Airport was evacuated and hundreds of passengers delayed after a hole was found in the perimeter fence.

Planes were kept on the tarmac for up to two hours

The terminal was evacuated and 11 planes were kept on the tarmac on Tuesday night for about two hours.

Passengers waiting to board planes had to be reprocessed through security. Flights have now returned to normal.

Lothian and Borders Police said an investigation was under way following "an apparent breach of the security fence".
A spokesperson said: "Police responded around 10pm and a number of flights were disrupted as part of the terminal building was closed while security checks were carried out.

"The airport is now back to being fully operational."

Left luggage
Edinburgh Airport spokesman Gordon Robertson said the incident happened at a fairly busy time of night.
He said: "It took about two hours to reprocess passengers through security.
"Those who were meant to take off did, and those who were meant to land did."
He added that some passengers elected to leave the airport without their luggage to avoid any further waiting.

He said the airport would be working with airlines to ensure all passengers were reunited with their luggage later.

Passenger Anna Litwinczuk said she was kept on a plane from Krakow for more than an hour after it landed.

"When my plane arrived cabin crew informed us that we can't get out of the plane because there was some security reason we need to stay in the plane," she said.
"They didn't tell us what exactly."

The SNP MP Pete Wishart also had to stay on his plane after it arrived from Heathrow.
He said: "It was absolutely jam-packed because there had already been quite significant disruption at Heathrow because of the weather.

"A number of flights had been cancelled including my earlier one, so I was actually put on this later flight."

 

[Aviador]

"The terminal was evacuated and 11 planes were kept on the tarmac on Tuesday night for about two hours."

All for a hole?

Seems a bit excessive to evacuate the terminal because of a hole in the fence.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Edinburgh Airport reopens after four hour security alert

Dozens of flights were diverted or cancelled and hundreds of passengers were stranded on planes that had just landed after an innocent item of hand luggage triggered a major security alert at Edinburgh Airport.

The terminal was evacuated and remained closed for almost four hours, following an incident at 1.50pm, as bomb disposal experts examined the suspect bag.

The incident caused widespread disruption to holidaymakers and business passengers, with around 15 departures and 13 arrivals cancelled and some flights delayed by more than five hours. Seven flights were divereted to Glasgow.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... alert.html[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

Airport passengers delayed by ‘shambolic’ security

A scathing report about airport security at Edinburgh airport. The airport blamed it's customers for arriving at the same time.

After all it is the airports and airlines who are trying to get everybody to check-in on-line so really they are responsible. The old way of checking in meant people had to arrive at set times before their flights departed but with on-line check-in, more and more people are leaving it until last minute to arrive for their flights. This will inevitably lead to unexpected surges in passenger numbers that nobody can predict.

If the reports of up to 14 security personnel not turning in for work are correct, this would have lead to two or three scanners been out of action depending on the airports screening methodology.