The safety or safety in English, not to be confused with with security or physical securityrefers to the possibility of the occurrence of damage to human factors involved in the operation of airports. For an airport to be operational, it needs to be certified, i.e. it needs to meet requirements that guarantee acceptable safety levels, which must be managed through the implementation of specific plans.
What is airport safety and security?
The main objective of the safety management at aerodromes is to know identify and mitigate risks before they result in potentially damaging incidents. Key to this is the definition of acceptable safety levels, as well as the establishment of different types of operational safety indicators that will detect if deviations occur that result in these levels not being met.
The implementation of this management is carried out by controlling the risks arising from compliance with a number of different regulations which pursue this goal, and with the implementation of a management system security que abarca todo el ciclo de vida operacional del aeropuerto. Además de la definición de los niveles e indicadores de seguridad operativa, y de la detección, evaluación y mitigación de riesgos, estos sistemas de gestión también hacen hincapié en la investigación, análisis y notificación de incidencias, lo que debe realizarse conforme a la recientemente actualizada normativa europea.
Safety certification for airports
From a regulatory point of view, the The concept of operational security was reinforced with the publication a few years ago of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Annex 19 on Safety Management, as well as the fourth edition of the ICAO Doc 9859 on the Operational Security Management Manual. Basically, it was an extra effort by the ICAO to reinforce all aspects related to operational safety, which were distributed in several of its annexes, with the intention of giving it greater relevance.
This strategy was in line with the development of the concept of the APEX (Airport Excellence in Safety) which ACI (Airports Council International) had long been promoting in the field of safety and security; and in addition, it joined the publication of the European Regulation EU 139/2014. Esta norma, que entró en vigor el 6 de marzo de 2014, establece los requisitos para las autoridades competentes que intervienen en la certificación y supervisión de aeródromos, operadores de aeródromos y proveedores de servicios de dirección de plataforma.
This regulation is complemented by other European regulations, such as EU 376/2014, which imposes the obligation to establecer sistemas de análisis, notificación y seguimiento de sucesos como parte del sistema de gestión de seguridad operacional emissions from airports. To align the requirements of this regulation with those of EU 139/2014, by the end of 2024, the principles on reporting, analysis and monitoring in civil aviation set out in the EU 139/2014 were adopted.l Implementing Regulation EU 2024/894with effect from 20 March 2025.
Implementation of the operational security plan at airports
The aerodrome certification is intended to ensure that the facilities, procedures and personnel comply with current regulations and proper protocols are followed. to minimise the risks associated with aircraft operations on the airfield. It is a complex process, which requires significant dedication and is necessarily time consuming. A significant investment is highly recommended to achieve the objective of aerodrome certification, and can hardly be carried out by airport staff due to the day-to-day workload. It is therefore necessary to have consultores técnicos especialistas en seguridad operacionalwho will apply for the cooperation of the airport's own staff to bring this process to a successful conclusion.
In addition, in the safety risk management that necessarily derives from this consultancy, in order to implement effective safety measures, it is essential to have the involvement of the different stakeholders related to aircraft activity on the airfield, such as airline pilots, airport managers, handling personnel, air traffic controllers, consultants, etc. The advantages of having aerodrome certification are many, from economic to operational efficiency, but the main one is the satisfaction of offering airlines and passengers the possibility of using a safer airport every day thanks to the maintenance of the Operational Safety Management System (OSMS).
One of the strengths of AERTEC en cuanto a servicios de operaciones para aeropuertos es precisamente ayudar a implementar las medidas necesarias para garantizar la seguridad de los pasajeros, de las aeronaves y quienes las operan y de las infraestructuras aeroportuarias a través del design, implementation and monitoring of OSMS.
The combination of well-trained personnel, the updating and revision of operational procedures and the safety management system, the use of new technologies on the airfield and the ability to have a proactive approach The key to success is operational safety and security.
The best vision for the future of operational security is a combination of best practices integrating new technologies (A-SMGCS, LED technology, ILCMS solutions, "follow the green" procedures, etc.), with efficient and safe designs necessarily aligned with aircraft movement procedures on the ground, which take real account of previous safety experience at other airports around the world.
This combination of technological innovation and effective design needs to be complemented by the continuous improvement which will provide efficient education and training for the stakeholders who work at the airport on a daily basis. Operational safety is associated with the entire airport life cycle (consultancy, design, works, operation, use of effective technological tools and efficient management) and requires that we all get involved at 100% and with enthusiasm in its continuous improvement.
