Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE: “Moving away from one-size-fits-all systematic & conventional detection towards an intelligence driven system with more deterrence & unpredictability is the only way forward if we want to deliver effective security. This implies a security culture with collaboration & data exchange at its core. It is crystal clear that the only way to get there will be through more Europe – not less of it. The EU has raised to the challenge in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and it needs to do the same with the new threat environment we are now facing. More than ever, a Security Union is what we need.”

Arnaud Feist, CEO Brussels Airport Company, delivered a keynote presentation on ‘The Brussels Airport Attack: A story of strength, hope and resilience’. He outlined both the emergency phase, with “quick and efficient reactions by professional and agile teams”, and the recovery phase “from 0% up to 100% capacity in 72 days”.

Dr Sani Şener, CEO TAV Airports Holding, outlined the crisis response to the 28 June terror attack at Istanbul Atatürk and the 15 July coup attempt, during which thousands of citizens gathered at the airport and resisted the coup. “Getting back to the daily routine of flights, and putting the airport back into operation in just eight hours, was a significant reaction towards terrorism,” said Şener.

Jan Jambon, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of the Interior & Security, delivered a keynote address on Belgium’s anti-terrorism strategy.

The Global Security Leaders Assembly featured in-depth discussion of UN Security Council Resolution 2309: “More should and could be done to improve aviation security across the world.” Participants (L-R) were: Francis Morgan, Director of Security, Council of the European Union; Henrik Hololei, Director General DG MOVE, European Commission; Cristóbal León Martinez, Specialist, European Counter Terrorism Center, Europol; Huban A. Gowadia, Deputy Administrator, TSA; and Bart Mos, Senior Security Officer, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Member, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee and ACI World Security Standing Committee.

Stacey Peel, Global Lead Strategic Aviation Security, Arup, chaired part one of the landside security session, delivering a presentation on how airports can be designed with security in mind. She described a risk-based approach, plus design considerations. Peel explained that the use of existing infrastructure is cost-saving, while there is a design advantage to integration with existing infrastructure. She also emphasised the importance of future-proofing, and of flexible heightened threat level measures.

Wilfried Covent, Security Expert, Brussels Airport and Vice-Chair, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee, spoke about taking landside security to the next level, emphasising the importance of security measures being non-invasive, driven by technology and behaviour detection monitoring. He also highlighted the introduction of smart security, increasing throughput and enhancing the passenger experience.

Daniel Burkard, Deputy Airport Director, Moscow Domodedovo Airport and Member of the ACI EUROPE Board, presented a case study on the 2011 suicide bombing at the airport, and the measures taken to prevent future attacks.

Participants in Landside Security Part II: People, processes, and practical solutions to appropriately manage risk included (L-R): Pedro Casatejada Herrera, Global Solution Director for Border Control, Atos; Pedro Torres, Director of Product, Vision-Box; Denis Castanet, Director, Business Development EMEA, Bosch Security Systems and Member, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee; Bert Willemsen, EVP Security, Scarabee Aviation Group and Member, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee; and Philipp Kriegbaum, Vice President, Security and Quality Management, Fraport and Member, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee.

Daniel de Carvalho, Former Lead Spokesman and Communications Strategist at Wizz Air and Ryanair; Principal, DDC Communications, chaired the session on crisis management and crisis communications. In his opening presentation, he asserted that “reputation is king” and that protecting reputation equals controlling the narrative.

Abigail Pollard, Managing Director, Blake Emergency Services, delivered a defining presentation on emergency response planning and crisis communications.

Mirjam Snoerwang (pictured second left), Senior Officer, Safety, Security & Environment, Schiphol Group, and Gerrie van de Weide (pictured left), Airport Manager, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, presented a case study on the shooting down of MH17 and Amsterdam Schiphol’s leadership role through crisis management and crisis communications.

The second part of the crisis management and crisis communications aspect of the conference featured Caroline Sapriel, Managing Partner, CS&A International; Zarko Zivcev, Advisor to the Director, EUROCONTROL; Daniel de Carvalho, Former Lead Spokesman and Communications Strategist at Wizz Air and Ryanair; Principal, DDC Communications; and Michael Cardarelli, Director, Transportation Practice, Everbridge.

Johnnie Müller, Security Director, Copenhagen Airport and Immediate Past Chair, ACI EUROPE Aviation Security Committee and Current Vice Chair, ACI World Security Standing Committee, chaired the fourth working session, which focused on deepening cooperation between technology providers and airport stakeholders. In his opening remarks, he referenced the importance of cooperation on operative tests, cost-effective systems, low maintenance costs, and low false alarm rates.

Chris Morgan, Head of Security, Bristol Airport, and Tony Tielen, Vice President EMEA, Smiths Detection, jointly presented a case study on the airport’s West Terminal Extension, including the future-proof checkpoint security transformation.

Mats Paulsson, Corporate Security and Safety Director, Swedavia, chaired the session on ‘Radicalised employees: Understanding the threat; reducing the risk’. The best protection against radicalised insiders, he explained, includes trained and aware staff, and a culture in which it is allowed to report “changed behaviour”.

Professor Andrew Silke, Head of Criminology/Director of Terrorism Studies, University of East London, delivered a truly engaging defining presentation in the session on radicalised employees, entitled “Insider Threats: The Risks and Realities of Employee Radicalisation”.