Olympic challenge

Bob O’ Connor takes a look at Athens International Airport’s bid to upgrade security and enhance its image around the world ahead of the 2004 Olympics in the Greek capital.

Within months of the opening of Athens International Airport, air travel changed forever. The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in September 2001 put airport security under the spotlight. Scrutiny from the outside was particularly intense on Athens.

Greece’s commitment to the fight against terrorism has long been the object of some scepticism. In May 2000, the US State Department described Greece as the “weakest link” in Europe’s anti-terrorist network. These concerns are heightened by Greece’s proximity to the Middle East.

In March 1996, Federico Pena, the then US secretary of transportation, declared that Hellinikon International Airport was not providing effective security measures. In May of that year, after an inspection team from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) visited Greece, Pena announced that he was happy that the airport had upgraded security to meet international standards.

The original US declaration had not been good for Greece’s reputation, or its tourist business. While it was in effect, it required airlines flying from the US to Greece to post warnings to travellers. And even after it was lifted, a negative perception remained in North America.

There has also been concern from various quarters over the years at the inability of the Greece police to eliminate the threat of the extreme left terrorist group, November 17. The organisation has been responsible for the assassination of 23 Greek and foreign nationals since 1975. The noose is, however, tightening around its neck with 19 alleged gang members on trial this year.

Alfred van der Meer, CEO at Athens International Airport (AIA), dismisses any doubts about effectiveness of the security operation at his gateway claiming that it “meets the highest European standards”. He says that AIA carries out the 100% screening of hold baggage and utilises the latest technology for passenger and baggage checks and insists that it would not have been voted the world’s best gateway (in the under 15mppa category) by passengers quizzed in IATA’s 2003 Global Airport Monitor survey if they had not been fully satisfied with his airport’s security set-up.

In August 2003, the Greek Government reacted angrily to a report in the New York Times which said that al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates have long been known to operate in Greece, Turkey and the Philippines. The article reported that US aviation inspectors had visited AIA, along with other airports around the world, to assess possible threats to aircraft from shoulder-held missile launchers. The country’s press and mass media minister, Christos Protopappas, responded with a stinging attack on the newspaper and issued a statement maintaining that no al-Qaeda activity had ever been detected in Greece. He also stated that Athens International Airport has been repeatedly inspected by international organisations on security issues and been deemed “one of the safest airports in world”.

The airport will, of course, face the ultimate test of its security operation in August 2004 when more than two million visitors are expected to descend on the Greek capital for the Summer Olympics. Van der Meer has no doubts that AIA will be up to the challenge.

“Apart from the operational and logistical problems of having to accommodate the large increase in arriving and departing passengers and flights during the games, I do not expect the Olympics to pose a major challenge for the airport,” says van der Meer.

To help it cope with demand it is to open a new road system that will make it easier for spectators to go direct from the airport to the Olympic sites.

Van der Meer adds that the airport is always ready to respond to special security situations, such as the recent Greek presidency of the European Union. Moreover, the main Olympics security operation will be in the hands of the Greek government.

In May 2003, the California-based research and engineering company, SAIC, won a contract from the Greek government to provide information technology services for the Olympic security operation. SAIC performed a similar role at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

AIA has been taking advice from other Olympic cities, such as Salt Lake, Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona when it comes to dealing with the crowds. One lesson it has learnt is that it should try to ease post-Games bottlenecks by appealing to spectators to consider delaying their departures by a couple of days. Van der Meer notes that no Olympic airport has ever been able to get everyone out immediately.

Adds van der Meer: “Good airport security requires having visible and non-visible inspection teams and paying close attention to the airport’s perimeter. We have that now and will step that up during the Olympics because the threat analysis is likely to change.”

“Airport World” magazine

Volume 8, Issue 5, October-November 2003