September-October 2022 - 24

COVER STORY
AUTHOR Brian McIlravey
Unaccounted-For Credentials
Flying Under the Radar
How airports are addressing badging requirements, physical access
audits and TSA's 5% rule using innovative automation solutions.
AIRPORTS FACE a far higher level of oversight than most
other organizations when it comes to physical security
- and for good reason. With high numbers of transitory
workers, a large percentage of non-employee personnel
coming and going, and up to hundreds of thousands of
passengers traveling daily, managing physical access
within an airport is a continuous challenge.
Airport security is particularly critical
in security identification display
areas (SIDAs), the most sensitive parts
of airport facilities. It is within these
SIDAs where the risk of an insider
threat attack looms largest. Reports
show that terrorist organizations
have used aviation sector insiders to
carry out attacks, leading the TSA to
enforce a number of mandates regarding
physical access to SIDAs.
Even with TSA and FBI-led efforts
such as the Aviation Worker Vetting
Program and Rap Back Program,
much of the burden relating to SIDA
credentialing falls to the airports
themselves. Current TSA regulations
require airports to perform regular
audits of identification badges in
circulation. Should the percentage
to notify congressional committees
of any Category X airport (the largest
and busiest airports in the country)
that cannot account for 3 percent of
their SIDA badges.
With approximately 1.4 million
aviation workers across the United
States who have access to SIDAs,
managing and maintaining active
badges poses a significant challenge,
compounded by aging infrastructure
and lingering effects of the COVID19
pandemic. Declines in air travel
during the pandemic resulted in
many airport employees being laid
off and airport construction projects
being postponed. Many of the badges
issued to employees and contractors
pre-pandemic may now be unaccounted
for, and with fewer security
SHOULD THE PERCENTAGE OF
UNACCOUNTED-FOR CREDENTIALS
FOR SIDAS EXCEED 5 PERCENT, THE
ENTIRE AIRPORT MUST BE REBADGED.
of unaccounted-for credentials for
SIDAs exceed 5 percent, the entire
airport must be rebadged. The
Security Act of 2016 further tightened
these measures, requiring TSA
personnel available to assist with the
already overwhelming task of credential
management, many airports are
finding themselves on the brink of a
physical security nightmare.
24 \ AIRPORT BUSINESS / SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
AIRPORT MANAGER
Failure to comply with TSA's
5 percent rule could result in the
costly and time-consuming task of
rebadging thousands of employees. In
2018, Daniel K. Inouye International
Airport, the largest airport in Hawaii,
was forced to rebadge 23,000
employees due to such an infraction.
The TSA also warned that failure to
address the badging concerns would
result in a fine of $13,066 per violation,
with complete inaction resulting
in close to $25 million in fines.
And while no additional fines were
levied, the laborious and expensive
task of rebadging their entire staff
cost the airport close to a hundred
thousand dollars in material costs.
The airport cited conducting more
re-audits as a way to ensure compliance
in the future.
Beyond conducting more self-audits,
cutting-edge automation tools
September-October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September-October 2022
