Several hundred times over the past decade, intruders have hopped fences, slipped past guardhouses, crashed their cars through gates or otherwise breached perimeter security at the busiest U.S. airports – sometimes even managing to climb aboard jets.
One man tossed his bike over a fence and pedaled across a runway at Chicago O’Hare, stopping to knock on a terminal door. Another rammed a sports-utility vehicle through a security gate at Philadelphia International and sped down a runway as a plane was about to land. At Los Angeles International, a mentally ill man hopped the fence eight times in less than a year – twice reaching stairs that led to jets.
An Associated Press investigation found 268 perimeter breaches since 2004 at airports that together handle three-quarters of U.S. commercial passenger traffic. And that’s an undercount, because two airports among the 31 that AP surveyed didn’t have data for all years. Boston’s Logan and the New York City area’s three main airports refused to release any information, citing security concerns.
Through public records requests, news archive searches and interviews, the AP created the most comprehensive public accounting of perimeter security breaches from January, 2004, through January, 2015, at the nation’s 30 busiest airports, plus San Jose.
Until now, few of the incidents have been publicly reported. Most involved intruders who wanted to take a shortcut, were lost, disoriented, drunk or mentally unstable but seemingly harmless. A few had knives, and another was caught with a loaded handgun.
None of the incidents involved a terrorist plot, according to airport officials. The lapses nevertheless highlight gaps in airport security in a post-9/11 world where passengers inside terminals face rigorous screening and even unsuccessful plots have prompted new procedures.
“This might be the next vulnerable area for terrorists as it becomes harder to get the bomb on the plane through the checkpoint,” said airport security expert Jeff Price.
Since the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to upgrade perimeter fencing, cameras and detection technology. Many airports have dozens of miles of fencing, but not all of that is frequently patrolled or always in view of security cameras.
Airport officials insist perimeters are secure, and that an intruder being caught is proof their systems work. They declined to outline specific measures, other than to say they have layers that include fences, cameras and patrols. Employees are required to ask for proof of security clearance if a badge is not obvious.
Hawaii hitchhiking
The AP’s analysis was prompted by a breach last spring in which a 15-year-old boy climbed a fence at Mineta San Jose International Airport, hoisted himself into a jet’s wheel well and survived an almost six-hour flight to Hawaii. He had wanted to go to Africa to see his mother.
At a news conference called Thursday in response to AP’s findings, the San Francisco airport spokesman said his facility had the most breaches because it disclosed everything, whether the breach was intentional or accidental. Spokesman Doug Yakel said the airport has beefed up security and that while its airfield is safe, “The goal is always zero” breaches.
Officials insist that no technology solution is foolproof. Outfit cameras with software designed to help identify intruders, and there may not be enough staff to monitor images. Airports have to weigh the potential threat of harm against the hefty cost of building elaborate defences, experts said.
“It’s one of those issues that I think until something really bad happens, not much is going to change,” Price said.