Type of Project
Civil aviation continues to be one of the most accessible tools for tourist integration, allowing passengers to travel around the world and share cultural experiences almost unlimitedly. Due to the high availability of civil aviation resources, including generally increased competitiveness in the marketplace, a culture of safety that maximizes passenger and crew comfort and survivability and eliminates any threats of a terrorist attack is a significant issue. According to statistics, by 2019 — before the massive COVID-19 restrictions — the total number of flights worldwide was 38.9 million and judging by the upward trend, that number should increase in the future (Salas, 2022). The history of aviation recalls well the examples of the 9/11 attacks in which a lack of perfected security measures or non-compliance caused the hijacking of three American planes and the downing of a fourth on the same day in 2001 (Hirschhorn, 2021). In addition to hijackings, anti-terrorist security threats also include sneaking an explosive device and weapon on board, as was the case on Airbus 321 over the Sinai Peninsula (Adámek, 2020). It is expected that the increase in the number of flights in the absence of a strengthened anti-terrorist culture should also lead to an increase in the number of unintended consequences of such flights – as a consequence, there is an urgent need to develop and improve a culture of safety during flight. Authors often point to an expanding set of security protections being undertaken, and one of the most commonly operated tools is pre-screening the passenger in the passport control area to identify prohibited passengers or illegal residents with good reason to deny boarding (CRS, 2021). The other side of this expansion could be the excessive securitization of civil aviation, reducing passenger comfort levels and significantly slowing down airport passenger volumes, as has been implemented for European Aviation (Kaunert, Callander, and Léonard, 2021). It is emphasized that security in the classical sense is implemented by two consecutive systems of procedures, namely checks at the airport and directly on board the aircraft. In this applied research, the emphasis is placed on the second system, that is, on the set of measures that the crew takes to minimize terrorist attacks. It is recognized that academic discourse tends to focus on initial passenger screening procedures and pays little attention to expanding the security measures taken by the crew during flight, which is why this study proves to be scientifically valuable as it seeks to make a worthwhile contribution to the academic and public literature. Thus, the research question can be formulated as follows: In what direction should the anti-terrorism security complex be developed in the context of increasing civil aviation accessibility, given the evidence from current practice?
Academic Context
Not much academic evidence exists that examines anti-terrorist security measures directly on aircraft. The evidence that is found tends to be differentiated according to the legal framework of the state in whose airspace a terrorist act was committed. For example, Müller (2018) points out that German law permits the shooting down of a hijacked aircraft, thus forming a dilemma between individual and collective security interests. However, a significantly more intriguing question is directed at examining the preventive measures that can be taken by the crew to prevent the onset of a terrorist threat. For example, a U.S. government report on security enhancements points to an increase in flight crew training standards but does not explain what tools have been implemented (U.S. GAO, 2020). Meanwhile, exceptional authors report on profiling techniques by flight attendants that preventively identify potentially dangerous passengers. For example, a lack of greeting from a passenger who has come on board or an analysis of passengers’ body language may be indicative of a threat (Matousek, 2019; Ekman, 2016). On the other hand, it has been recognized that passengers’ behavioral patterns are not sufficient evidence of potential danger, so such observations by flight attendants are part of pseudoscience (Denault et al., 2020). Surveillance methods can be redundant and lead to discriminatory practices (Alhoff, 2018). For this reason, a review of the scientific literature leads to the conclusion that a comprehensive, balanced approach is needed to address the interests of the parties involved and reduce costs.
Research Objectives
Thus, there is an urgent need to profile the development of counterterrorism security enhancement systems directly on board aircraft. The found literature evidence is insufficient, and some of it is contradictory, which creates advantages for terrorists. Thus, the objectives of this study include the following items:
- Conduct an extensive literature review and discuss what methods of enhancing safety culture are described in the sources.
- Based on the data collected from the interviews, outline a general list of security strategies undertaken by crew members;
- Examine potential threats posed by terrorists during flight.
- Propose a list of recommendations based on the risks identified and plan for its implementation in flight practices.
Research Design and Methods
The present work is planned to be implemented in two phases, namely through an extensive keyword literature review and crew member interviews. The literature review will be conducted on open digital platforms, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, ResearchGate, and Academia. Inclusion criteria — a year of publication, author, and publisher authority — and keywords to optimize search results are suggested for search customization (Sanfilippo et al., 2020). For the second part of the study, a semi-structured interview among crew members (flight attendants and pilots) is proposed to identify key search strategies for potentially dangerous passengers and strategies to protect safety from them. Respondents are proposed to be recruited from personal acquaintances and from online communities about crew life. This method seems to be the most appropriate, as it allows primary data to be obtained directly from the leading figures of the study and comparisons to be made between different safety enhancement tactics (VT, 2018). Thus, the research design is based on a qualitative paradigm because it operates with nonnumerical data and is implemented through thematic analysis.
Research Ethics
One of the most sensitive issues of the ongoing research is the disclosure of information that could potentially be useful to terrorists. In particular, examining current strategies for identifying terrorists on board allows one to evaluate the ways in which crew members carry out security, which in turn may play into the hands of dangerous passengers. However, it is recognized that security culture awareness has a positive purpose as well, as it allows for the generalization of different practices and the development of more robust counterterrorism packages. In addition, only voluntary participants who have filled out an informed consent form and are aware of the goals and objectives of the project will be selected for interviews. To maintain their confidentiality in order to avoid unwanted actions, a procedure will be used to anonymize their identity, so the final project will not make any connection between the answers and the possibility of identifying the respondent.
Time Scale and Resources
In terms of time constraints, it is recommended that the research be fragmented into three phases for a total duration of one month. During the first week, an extensive literature search will be implemented, including both identification and retrieval of results. During the second week, interviews with respondents will be implemented, and the material will be collected and analyzed. The last two weeks are set aside for writing the final paper, comparing results, and rethinking previously written sections to create a unified, semantically unified document. In terms of resource constraints, it is necessary to develop questions for a semi-structured interview and to have statistical analysis tools that allow for the thematic processing of responses. In other words, the project does not require an excessive number of resources and time, which increases its viability.
Plans for Research Credibility Improvement
The primary paradigm chosen in writing the paper is critical reflection, focusing on facts and data, but not opinions. Any sources to be analyzed as part of the literature review should be critiqued and, if possible, compared with other authors. In addition, no practices of academic dishonesty will be involved, which will also increase the scholarly weight of the study. Current ethical and research procedures will be examined and implemented during the interviews, which will also lend academic credibility to the work. In this way, high standards of honesty and impartiality will be at the core of this paper, allowing me to be judged as a good researcher, prone to make valuable contributions to academic discourse.
Reference List
Adámek, V. (2020) ‘Selected terrorist attacks in civil aviaton in the early part of the 21st century’, Acta Mechanica Slovaca, 24(4): pp. 52-59.
Alhoff, F. (2018) ‘Liberty and security: a balanced approach’, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Public Affairs, 3(1), pp. 53-82.
CRS (2021) Aviation security measures and domestic terrorism threats. Web.
Denault, V., et al., (2020) ‘L’analyse de la communication non verbale: Les dangers de la pseudoscience en contextes de sécurité et de justice’, Revue Internationale De Criminologie Et De Police Technique Et Scientifique, 73(1), pp. 15-44.
Ekman, P. (2016) Nonverbal messages: cracking the code: my life’s pursuit. New York: Paul Ekman Group.
Hirschhorn, C. (2021) Two decades later: how lessons from the 9/11 Commission Report can help us improve the political appointment process and protect our national security. Web.
Kaunert, C., Callander, B. and Léonard, S. (2021) ‘The collective securitization of aviation in the European Union through association with terrorism’, Global Affairs, 7(5), pp. 669-686.
Matousek, M. (2019) Flight attendants reveal 10 things they notice on planes that you probably miss. Web.
Müller, L.F. (2018) ‘Identifying German legal approaches to terror—how the constitution shapes legislation allowing the shooting down of a hijacked plane’, German Law Journal, 19(1), pp. 113-136.
Salas, E. B. (2022) Global air traffic — number of flights 2004-2022. Web.
Sanfilippo, F., et al. (2020) ‘Importance of inclusion criteria in systematic reviews’, British Journal of Anaesthesia, 125(5), pp. e398-e399.
US GAO (2020) Aviation security: flight and cabin crew member security training strengthened, but better planning and internal controls needed. Web.
VT (2018) Research methods guide: interview research. Web.