The International Air Transport Association (IATA) emphasised the importance of engaging the industry on security issues in a meeting with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in January. IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani hosted a summit at IATA’s headquarters in Geneva which included DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, the secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), top executives from 25 airlines, as well as participants from the US Government.

“The aviation industry is committed to keeping the global skies safe and secure,” said Bisignani. “We live in a global world with global connectivity and global threats. The challenge is to protect the benefits of aviation connectivity and eliminate the threats. Governments and industry have the same goals but different expertise. Governments understand the threats and the tools needed to mitigate them. Industry has the operational expertise for effective implementation. Working together is the only way forward,” Bisignani emphasised.

Bisignani commended the fresh approach of the Obama administration to proactively engage industry. “We applaud Secretar y Napolitano’s commitment to engage industry and find workable and effective solutions. A single meeting cannot solve all the security challenges we face but it is a major step in the right direction. We had a lot to teach each other and today is the start of a regular high-level dialogue on this critical issue.

This cooperation should become a model for other countries to adopt,” Bisignani said. IATA and DHS agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in the coming weeks. Among the recommendations made by IATA was to institutionalise government/industry cooperation and for ICAO to create a template for such cooperation to be implemented globally.