Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) has achieved Phase One of the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (UKCAA) Security Management System (SeMS).
HIAL is the first group to work with the UK CAA to implement the system across all its airports in one undertaking.
The system, which aligns with CAP 1223 framework, enables the development and maintenance of effective oversight of security processes across an organisation. Using SeMS also allows HIAL to continue to meet UK regulatory quality assurance requirements.
SeMS is a formal, risk-driven framework for integrating security into the daily operations and culture of organisations. It includes the following:
- Identifying risks in a proactive manner and developing security practices to mitigate them
- Monitoring performance and the measurement of security practices against set Aviation Security requirements
- Improved oversight of security at all levels including for contractors, suppliers and third parties
- Continuous improvement and increased sharing of information and ideas, working with the UK CAA and other aviation organisations more collaboratively
- Sharing examples of good practice, collecting and analysing data to ensure that improvements are made to security procedures where a need is identified
- Promoting security education across the organisation to improve understanding of the principles of security and build a stronger and more positive security culture
Darren MacLeod, Chief Operating Officer for HIAL said, “Being granted Phase One of the SeMS by the UK Civil Aviation Authority is excellent news. It is the result of the hard work of not just our security teams but colleagues across the organisation. We are now working towards achieving Phase 2 by the end of this year.”