Study on Economic and other Benefits of One Stop Security Arrangements

The challenge

One Stop Security (OSS) is an EU aviation security initiative that recognises the equivalence of security measures in one State as at least equivalent in their security outcome to the measures practised in another State.

If such an arrangement is in place between States, OSS enables passengers, their cabin baggage, hold baggage and/or cargo to be exempted from re-screening at a transfer airport. The principle of OSS is to deliver speed and convenience, whilst achieving cost savings and maintaining an equivalent high level of security, avoiding the repetition of security checks to people and items which have remained in a secure environment since their point of departure.

Despite formal One Stop Security arrangements being in place at a country level, the degree of application within participating States, particularly at airport level, varies considerably. For example, OSS may be in place for baggage but not passengers (or vice versa) or only for flights from certain origins.

DG MOVE commissioned o&i consulting to conduct a One Stop Security (OSS) study to understand the status quo of its application, identify reasons for non-implementation and to assess its costs and benefits.

 

Our role

Working with States, airports and other stakeholders, such as industry associations, o&i consulting gathered a range of information regarding the market and current take-up of One Stop Security, benefits of the initiative and barriers to implementation at national and airport level. This information was collected via detailed questionnaires, teleconference and workshops, and supplemented with a range of air travel statistics provided by IATA.

From this data set, our operational research team was able to determine the current status of One Stop Security and quantify the existing and potential market size. In brief, OSS is fully allowed at a State level across the EU/EEA and participating third countries, with notable exceptions being the UK and USA. Implementation at an airport level is more diverse; small airports with few/no transfer passengers typically do not offer any OSS or provide full OSS using process solutions. Larger airports, which benefit most from One Stop Security due to larger transfer volumes, offer either full OSS, typically following significant investment in infrastructure change, or partial OSS, often for Schengen passengers who are already segregated.

OSS is usually achieved via manual process controls (for low passenger volumes), creation of a segregated arrivals corridor, or via an additional floor in the terminal. The primary inhibitor to implementation of the initiative at airports is the cost of making these infrastructure changes; several airports said they are likely to incorporate OSS requirements into future development plans.

Benefits of OSS include cost savings from eliminating re-screening, improved connection times and better experience for passengers, as well as supporting improved cooperation between participating States and raising and aligning overall global aviation security standards.

To conclude the report, o&i consulting made a number of recommendations to the Commission regarding the future expansion of One Stop Security at State and airport level.

 

o&i expertise

  • Industry research
  • Questionnaire development for a number of stakeholder groups
  • Workshop set up and facilitation
  • Information gathering and recording
  • Data analysis
  • Communication of findings and recommendations
  • Aviation and security expertise
  • Stakeholder engagement and coordination
  • Reporting and presentation

 

Project Key Facts

Title: Study on Economic and other Benefits of One Stop Security Arrangements

Client: European Commission

Theme: Aviation Security