Flight Crews: Ensuring Personal Security While Traveling

Aug. 25, 2015

Today’s business aviation crewmembers face constantly changing and often highly sophisticated potential personal security threats – and not just while traveling internationally to challenging destinations.

“A crewmember might think, this is a one-day, domestic trip so it will be easy, but that is not necessarily the case,” said Richard Gomez, vice president of aviation education projects worldwide for MedAire, a travel risk-management solutions company. “It’s important to remember that when you are away from home – and that could be anywhere – things do happen.”

“The key to handling an unexpected situation is proper training and appropriate response,” said Gomez, whose company, as part of its solutions for general aviation, offers an e-learning course in travel risk awareness. The training uses a three-phased approach – prepare, travel and respond – and covers a variety of possible security and safety challenges that a crewmember might encounter.

Although natural disasters can create havoc for travelers, manmade disasters – such as civil unrest, terror attacks or violent protests – are the most dangerous, according to international security expert Walid Phares.

In these scenarios, it is crucial for crewmembers to “regroup as fast as possible, anywhere possible,” said Phares. “Having contacts who can inform and guide, if not escort, the crew is essential. Having access to the embassy or consulate is a priority, but in the absence of such access, constructing an informed and educated plan to exit the city and country is a must. Reaching international borders or the coasts in some cases is important, but hiding and waiting for the situation to settle could prove wise at [other] times.”

The most serious risks that crewmembers might face while on a trip are the ones that involve physical harm.

Phares emphasized the basic tenet of international travel – being informed about country conditions – not just for the destination, but for countries of transit as well. “If you are traveling to a country that is considered safe, but will be stopping in a country that is undergoing tensions, or overflying a country that is in conflict, you need to know this and have at least minimum mental preparation for any eventual situation,” said Phares.

The most serious risks that crewmembers might face while on a trip are the ones that involve physical harm from terror attacks and violent crime, said Phares. Others could include kidnapping and harassment, getting robbed or being scammed. One possible scenario is “for assailants to target the crew based on nationality, ethnicity or religion.”

“Other scenarios can also develop on the ground, where members of the crew are targeted by groups or individuals who originally weren’t planning on [taking] an action against the crew, but as they identified these members, they decided to act,” added Phares.

Studying the possibilities in each country is essential to personal security, said Phares. “Look at the whole trip, and do not underestimate a single piece of the puzzle. Bottom line: the whole trip – not just the destination – has to be the focus of attention.”

View NBAA security best practices.