Travel Document Security:
an airline perspective
Security is not all about hi-tech and this truism has even greater validity when it comes to passport and travel document inspection processes. Emirates is one of the world’s premier airlines that has a global reputation for its ability to effectively and efficiently determine whether or not the paperwork a passenger presents is genuine and, in doing so, whether the passenger should be allowed to board. Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi delivers the airline’s perspective.
organisations around the world. This theme was echoed in the 2009 Symposium and Exhibition on ICAO MRTDs by various authorities. The statement by the Secretary General of INTERPOL best represents the concern over travel document fraud: “Travel document security will have the greatest positive consequences for the overall security of our borders and communities.” Airlines have an important role to play in addressing this threat. Airlines have played an integral role in the exponential growth of the movement of peoples across borders. As such, they have a responsibility to ensure those travelling across borders have the correct documentation. This can be achieved through the creation of a document check team. Travel document checks involve preventing the use of fraudulent and illegally obtained travel documents to be used to enter a country. Many countries have acknowledged the airlines’ part within this process by imposing strict fines for the carriage of illegally documented passengers. These fines are designed to
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ravel document security has been at the top of our agenda as they continue to be abused by criminal
have a two-fold effect – acknowledging the responsibility of airlines and driving the borders to the point of acceptance at the last point of departure. From this standpoint a document check team is essential. At Emirates, this function falls under Group Security. The document check team operates at the airport and checks passports at the boarding gates. This team has been in existence for the past two decades and has developed a reputation within the airport environment. Over this time the team has developed very close partnerships with international bodies including the UK Home Office, the Australian Department of Immigration, the Canadian Border Police and various European immigration authorities. This relationship between border protection agencies and airlines helps establish more intricate controls of illegal travel documents. The team employs a two-pronged
approach to document security. The first is profiling and the second is document checking. This enables the team to look at the main aspects of illegal travel document use: impersonation and document forgery.
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Within the industry, there tends to be an emphasis on profiling due to the volume of passengers and time constraints. In the 20 years the team has been operational, there have been numerous cases from which lessons can be learnt and shared with the industry. Most recently there was a case where a passenger travelled from a country in Africa to the UK. This passenger had a good profile; however, on reviewing the passport it became apparent the document had been tampered with. After interviewing the passenger, who did not need any visa for travel to the UK, it emerged that he was carrying drugs into the country. This case highlights the value of both aspects, as a reliance on profiling alone would have allowed the passenger to slip through undetected.
The team is also able to assist law
enforcement globally in developing an outline of the travel itinerary of a passenger. By studying the trends and analysing ticket purchases, credit card use and passports, the team is able to develop an itinerary which allows law enforcement and immigration authorities to take corrective action to prevent similar illegal movements across borders.
June 2010 Aviationsecurityinternational
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