Advance Passenger Information for Aviation Security

By Simon Deignan

On 24 May 2014, four people were killed at the Jewish Museum in Brussels by an intruder with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle. This was the first terrorist attack in Europe claimed by the so-called Islamic State. The attacker was Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, a Frenchman of Algerian origin who spent more than a year fighting in Syria.

Nemmouche was known to counter-terrorism authorities. He had been placed on a French watch list before his departure to Syria in 2013, but this did not prevent him from being able to travel to fight with terrorists. He was subsequently placed on both a European and an international watch list.

Despite this, in March 2014, Nemmouche crossed the land border into Turkey, took a flight from Turkey to Malaysia and then from Singapore to Frankfurt. It was only after he had left Frankfurt airport that the authorities became aware that he had arrived back in Europe.

If states had been systematically collecting Advance Passenger Information (API) data from airlines and automatically cross-checking this data against relevant national, regional and international watch lists, it is less probable that Mehdi Nemmouche would have been able to fly back to Europe to commit this terrorist attack.

 Advance Passenger Information

An Advance Passenger Information (API) system is an electronic communications system that collects passenger biographical data and basic flight details provided by the airline operator. The data are generally collected from the passenger’s passport or other government-issued travel document. Airline communication networks then transmit the data to border control agencies in the destination country or country of origin before the flight’s departure or its arrival at the airport of destination. The OSCE foreign ministers adopted a decision on enhancing the use of API at this year’s Ministerial Council in Hamburg.

The OSCE role

The OSCE has long been recognized for its expertise in providing guidance on border security and management. It has played a central role in the development of programmes to deal with topics such as travel document security and foreign terrorist fighters.  Recently, the OSCE has established a mobile training team set to deploy to frontline border crossing points to train officers to better identify suspected foreign terrorist fighters.

Building on its leading advisory role, the OSCE has recently begun encouraging participating States to make better use of API to prevent the movement of suspected terrorists. Within the OSCE context and at regional API events co-organized with the United Nations (UN), it has raised participating States’ awareness of API requirements under key UN provisions, particularly UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) 2178 (2014) and 2309 (2016). These resolutions call upon states to require that airlines operating in their territories provide API to the appropriate national authorities in order to detect the movement on their territories of persons suspected of intending to commit terrorist acts.

From 29 November to 1 December 2016, the OSCE organized the first in a series of national workshops in Serbia, in close co-operation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and national experts from other countries. Participants identified strengths and weaknesses of the country’s national passenger processing environment, determined its technical assistance needs and drafted a road map that will eventually lead to the establishment of an API system in Serbia.

Ministerial Council decision

The OSCE foreign ministers took a significant step towards enhancing the participating States’ use of API when they took a decision on this topic at the Ministerial Council in Hamburg. They committed the OSCE participating States to promoting and extending the implementation of the UNSCRs on API.  OSCE participating States will establish national API systems in alignment with existing international standards and seek to automatically cross-check the data against watch lists. The text of the decision includes a provision tasking the OSCE executive structures with supporting participating States in doing this.

The collection and use of API data by government authorities for the purposes of exit, entry and transit control of air passengers is becoming increasingly important for state security. Not only can API systems be an effective tool in interdicting the travel of terrorists and individuals engaged in transnational organized crime, they enhance border and aviation security generally, especially when used in conjunction with multilateral law enforcement databases, such as that of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

Intensified pressure on terrorist groups in conflict zones is leading to an increase in the number of foreign terrorist fighters returning to the OSCE region. Many of these individuals will likely be on international watch lists or terrorist databases. The use of API is one more tool in our armoury to prevent the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and ensure the security and safety of our citizens.

Simon Deignan is an Associate Programme Officer in the Transnational Threats Department of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna.