Safety in and Around Airports

Safety in and Around Airports

Certainly there is danger in the air and on the ground in and around airports due to dozens, even hundreds of huge flying machines taking off and landing every day. There is always the remote albeit horrifying possibility that a crash could occur in a neighborhood adjacent to the airport or in the airport itself -- or in the air above or near a major international airport. This paper delves into airport safety, within the boundaries of the airport and in the surrounding suburban or downtown neighborhoods.

Safety in Surrounding Neighborhoods

An article in USA Today in 2011 points to the possibility that travelers could become crime victims when attempting to arrive at a major airport like those in Philadelphia or Newark, or when returning rental cars, refilling gas tanks or otherwise catching transportation links near the airport.

In fact, a study by the CAP Index (an independent agency that measures the risks of crime in given areas) published in USA Today reflects that just outside the boundaries of the Philadelphia airport "…the likelihood of crime is nearly eight times higher than the national average" (Stoller, 2011). As for the Newark airport, crime is "nearly five times higher than the national average," according to the CAP Index (Stoller, p. 2).

These two airports aren't the only places where crime is high in surrounding regions. In and around 28 of the 29 "big-city airports" in the United States, the possibility of crime is greater than the national average, Stoller explains. Moreover, of the 29 big city airports (Chicago, Newark, Los Angeles, Miami, Kennedy, et al.), about one half have surrounding neighborhoods where the chances of being criminally assaulted or otherwise have a crime committed against a person "…is more than four times higher than the national average" (Stoller, p. 2).

Safety in the Air and on the Ground at Airports

The Federal Register published a proposed rule in 2010 -- a rule put forward by the Federal Aviation Administration -- that would require every certified airport to "…establish a safety management system (SMS) for its entire airfield environment," which includes areas where there is no aircraft movement as well as all areas where aircraft are operated. The SMS would develop "formal methods" for: a) "identifying hazards"; b) "analyzing and mitigating risk"; c) developing methods for ensuring continuous safety improvement"; and d) for putting together "organization-wide safety promotion strategies" (Federal Register).

The reason for (and the need for) this new SMS is because the demand for air travel is growing, and there are more aircraft providing transportation in more places for more people and that growth "…can heighten the risks of aircraft operations" (Federal Register).