18POS20 Secondary Barriers

Position

18POS20 5 December 2018

Secondary Barriers

Background

ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices concerning the security of the flight crew compartment are contained in Annex 6, Chapter 13. They include provisions for door design, monitoring capabilities, and locking procedures. IFALPA believes that these provisions alone do not provide a complete solution to the potential problem of unauthorized cockpit access.

secondary Barriers

There are times when operational necessity requires that the flight deck door be opened in flight. That period, however slight, represents a vulnerability that should be addressed. Security culture, awareness, and consistent, effective adherence to rules and procedures are crucially important.

Further enhancement of flight deck door security is the fitting of a secondary barrier, i.e., a system and procedure with the ability to delay and effectively deter unauthorised persons from entering the flight deck during the time when the flight deck door is open.

position

Security culture, awareness, and consistent, effective adherence to rules and procedures are crucially important.

IFALPA believes that a secondary barrier system should be fitted as a complement to reinforced cockpit doors.

When the fitting of a secondary barrier is not feasible, any other means of physically blocking unauthorized access to the flight deck, whenever the door is opened, should be used. Such means should only be implemented following an appropriate risk assessment.

In all cases, relevant training and standardized crew procedures are essential to ensure the intended benefits.

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