Terrorism Weekly: The Lessons of the Moscow Airport Attack
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 8:19
Around the world, there is free access before passengers with tickets are checked by security. Anyone can enter lugging a suitcase or wearing a heavy jacket without generating suspicion. There are numerous areas where groups of people congregate, including check-in gates, the arrivals area, and parking lots, before reaching security checkpoint. Any attack in these areas will be easier than one near airplanes but it will still draw attention and have a substantive impact on air travel, even if casualties are lower than in the case of a bombing of an aircraft.
What options do governments have? It certainly would be possible to protect an entire airport by creating a perimeter around the airport and searching the thousands of vehicles and individuals who enter this. But imagine now the cost and resources this would involve and the impact that this would have on air travel. This is why it is impractical and why airports will remain vulnerable to those determined to take lives through terrorism.