Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1132978
July/August/September 2019 I 25 FIGURE 5: The airside area of an airport is strictly controlled and entirely non-public. Imagine the serious ramifications if a terrorist or perpetrator were to gain physical access to a plane scheduled for take-off. of the airport is identified as any area that is beyond the TSA security screening checkpoint (SSCP) inside the terminals and any defined perimeter elements (e.g., fencing, walls, other boundaries). This includes taxiways, runways, aprons, aircraft parking, staging areas, and most facilities, such as hangars that store, service and maintain aircraft. For operational, geographic, safety, or security reasons, various other types of facilities, such as tenant and cargo facilities, may be located within the airside of the airport facility as well. The airside generally includes security areas to which certain requirements apply under 49 CFR 1542. These areas include secured areas, the air operations area (AOA), and the security identification display area (SIDA). These portions of the airside must be entirely non-public. Based on these guidelines, if the outer boundary consists of the physical perimeter fence line, anything between this fence line and security screening stations is recognized as the airside of the airport. In this case, the actual physical fence line at the minimum would need to incorporate the elements of deter, detect, deny, and delay to support a security-in-depth strategy. It is essential to identify the presence of the following elements when evaluating the airside boundaries of an airport: • Dangerous or hazardous areas that could affect the safety or security of a parked or moving aircraft • Concealed and overgrown areas that could hide persons or objects that might endanger aircraft or critical airport systems • Adjacent facilities that have proprietary security concerns and provisions (e.g., correctional, military, or other facilities that could affect or be affected by the proximity of airside operations) • Natural features, large metal structures and buildings or electronics facilities that might affect ground or aircraft communications, navigational, and surveillance systems • Adjacent facilities, such as schools, hotels, parks, or community areas, public parking spaces, and industrial buildings, which are in proximity of airside operations • Perimeter exposures that are bounded by large tracts of open fields, river basins, or wooded tracts that can increase the possibility of concealment of individuals by providing areas of refuge. These areas may also house large populations of wildlife and create security vulnerabilities.