A new report by the House Homeland Security Committee has found that a majority of U.S. airports do not implement “full employee screening†at access points and that conflict between government and industry stakeholders hampers efforts to build up aviation security.The report titled “America’s Airports: The Threat From Within†is the product of a two-year investigation carried out by House Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee Chairman John Katko (R-New York), the House panel said in a news release published Monday.
The document stated there are inconsistencies in the way air carrier and airport security officials train employees when it comes to responsible use of access and suspicious activity reporting.
The report also cited several examples of insider threats at airports such as drug and gun smuggling, attempt to detonate a bomb and employees’ involvement in terrorist activities abroad.
The House subpanel offered nine recommendations to mitigate risks of insider threats within the U.S. aviation sector and one of those is the call for the Transportation Security Administration and airports to review credentialing practices to ensure that airport employees adhere to stringent standards.
The Department of Homeland Security should collaborate with airports to find technology platforms designed to ensure security of employee access, the report added.
