Menu:
General Information
AAAE and airport representatives from around the country are taking the lead on an industry effort to create a biometric-based solution for airport badging and access control. The objective of the effort – known as the Biometric Airport Security Identification Credential or BASIC – is to define a comprehensive, airport-driven Concept of Operations that will enable voluntary migration to biometric-based badging and access control systems at airports.
TSA and DHS leadership have stated to AAAE in both public and private conversations that biometrics are coming to airports and, in particular, to airport badging and access control systems. At the same time, airport members have repeatedly expressed concerns about overly prescriptive and costly solutions, such as the TSA’s Maritime TWIC program, that will not work in the airport environment. Members have also expressed concern about repeating mistakes made in the past, such as with FAR 107.14 which, when first introduced in the late 1980s, required costly and often proprietary access control systems to be deployed in airports in a short period of time. In addition, a significant number of airports have already implemented various biometric-based systems at their facilities; in fact, according to a recent AAAE survey, nearly 40 percent of airports surveyed already have some type of biometric in place as part of their badging and access control systems.
Therefore, in an effort to avoid unnecessary regulations and a one-size-fits all mandate from TSA regarding biometric-based systems, airports participating in BASIC have identified several key principles that must be part of any future biometric-based badging and access control systems, including:
- Safeguards on local control and issuance of credentials,
- Leveraging of existing capital investments and resources,
- Open architecture and local determination of qualified vendors, and
- Phased implementation that migrates over time.
The BASIC working group, which has been meeting through conference calls on a regular basis, is developing a detailed Concept of Operations which will define the biometric components and common business processes that need to be added to airports’ existing procedures to enable biometric-based badge and access control systems in a reasonable and cost-effective timeframe.
The current airport members of BASIC invite airports interested in further defining the Concept of Operations for biometric-based badging and access control systems to join the group. Please contact Colleen Chamberlain at colleen.chamberlain@aaae.org to become an active BASIC participant.