The Italian couple who earlier this month ran into the airport’s restricted zone in a last-ditch attempt to catch their flight back home could very well have been killed, but fortunately security personnel got to them within 40 seconds.

When an airplane’s engines are fired up, the jet engine blast reaches 200ºCelsius and the suction at the front of the engines can cause horrific accidents.

On 17 June, a young Italian couple went through the fire exit after they were prevented from boarding their flight to Bari. They were subsequently charged in court, but back home they gave their own version of events to the Italian media.

Patrick Murgo, Head of Security at Malta International Airport, met with The Malta Independent on Sunday to clarify what exactly happened on the day.

 

Sequence of events

The two passengers had reported late for their 12.25pm flight to Bari and by the time they made it to the Departures Lounge, Gate 10 had closed. Despite begging airport personnel to let them in, the couple was prevented from boarding the flight.

They appeared to be leaving the gate, but as soon as the ground handlers left the gate, the two went back and tried to pass through the security door. This failed, because the door can only be opened by certified personnel. They then proceeded to the emergency exit and, after applying pressure, managed to open it.

Emergency doors are designed to be accessible in case of emergency, however it does not open up easily and a certain amount of force is needed. In addition, it immediately sets off an alarm as well as a message to the control room. When this alarm goes off, security officers and emergency medics are dispatched to the scene immediately.

The couple rushed out onto the airport’s apron, attempting to run about 150 metres to where the plane was parked. But it only took ground handlers 40 seconds to stop them. In the meantime, security officers, aerodrome operators, members of the police force and the AFM were also dispatched on scene.

At the time of the incident, the plane was already on ‘flight on’, meaning the pilot would have gone through the necessary checks and started the engines, ready for take-off.

The air marshal, tasked with giving the go-ahead to the pilot to roll off and proceed to runway, noticed the situation and did not give the signal to the pilot to proceed. At that point, the pilot opened the doors and put down the stairs to go down and see what was happening. But the couple mistakenly thought that the pilot had put down the stairs for them.

 

A safety, not a security issue

“The incident is a one-off, but has served as an eye-opener about the importance of security and safety in the airport. There is so much going on at the same time on the airport’s apron that a small mistake can lead to a disaster,” Mr Murgo said.

“The couple could have easily been hurt; they could have created an accident between vehicles or plane equipment. If the plane was to break suddenly, cabin crew members could have been wounded,” he continues.

Mr Murgo, who previously directed the Civil Protection Department, clarifies the distinction between safety and security procedures. Security procedures in airports ensure that no prohibited passengers or items end up on any vehicle. After the security checks, the passengers would be ‘sterile’ for embarking. Safety procedures, on the other hand, ensure that passengers are not in zones that may be dangerous. In this case, there was no breach of security procedures.

“The airport does not have one security tier but several, and these work in parallel to each other. If one passenger manages to get one step ahead, an additional tier would still stop him. When the couple were stopped by the ground handlers, the first tier had already worked,” he explains. “One does not simply manage to break such barriers.”

In comments to the media, the couple claimed that the key to the security door was in the lock, however, this key does not open the door, but only closes it. The door can only be opened by certified staff. The couple did not use the security door, but the emergency exit.

During a tour of the airport to understand the couple’s route, Mr Murgo himself had to be granted permission by security officers to gain access.

All airport and airlines personnel are trained in safety and security and must strictly adhere to procedures. “Security operations are a living organism. They change according to circumstances,” Mr Murgo said.