Threats to flights. Photos: Shutterstock Against the backdrop of increasing security threats to aviation in Europe , including bomb threats, drone intrusions, and cyberattacks, the European Airports Association (ACI EUROPE) has published a new strategy to deal with hybrid threats and strengthen the resilience of airports on the continent.
the new document, the organization emphasizes that airports are critical infrastructure, whose role goes far beyond flying passengers. They constitute a central link in Europe's connectivity, economic activity, vital supply chains, emergency response, and even military mobility. Therefore, maintaining their proper operation is also an issue of European security.
According to the organization, airports already invest resources in cybersecurity, crisis management, and operational continuity, but the complex and unpredictable nature of the threats requires a change in approach and closer cooperation between airport operators, airlines, security agencies, and governments.
ACI EUROPE CEO Olivier Jancovec said that hybrid threats are no longer a one-off professional issue, but a strategic challenge to Europe's critical infrastructure. He said that existing cooperation mechanisms and security rules require a re-examination.
The strategy calls, among other things, for clarifying the division of responsibilities between airports and authorities with regard to identifying and dealing with threats, and for creating dedicated funding mechanisms that will allow for strengthening defense and recovery capabilities across the European airport network.
Yanukovych warned that the purpose of the threats is not necessarily to cause maximum physical damage: repeated disruptions, uncertainty, and public intimidation may also serve as a means to undermine trust and erode the ability to cope.