Past Events: in hindsight! 20 years after - 9/11

This year, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary since 9/11, recorded as the ‘day that changed the world.’ Yet ironically, this year (and last) the world and aviation has faced another battle – a pandemic.

The starting premise of this research, is that, while there have been concerted efforts over the last two decades (since 9/11), it was undoubtedly the earlier failure at an international level, to appreciate such risks, that compounded the vulnerable position that the sector found, and arguably still finds, itself in. In doing so, the method applied is to revisit ‘the past.’ Reflection is given to key events, in the form of case studies, and comparison analysis is given to the USA and the EU responses to terrorism and other security challenges as a result of 9/11.
The findings are that nations inherently cling on to sovereignty in the form of control and that this impacts on a willingness to coordinate, coupled with this, there remains difficulties in sharing information and data, which invariably provides a risk to aviation.