Terrorist Attacks: A Safety Management System Training Tool for Airport and Airline Managers

The Role of the Transportation Security Administration

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required to prescribe rules to protect persons and property on aircraft against acts of criminal violence and aircraft piracy, and to prescribe rules for screening passengers and property for dangerous weapons, explosives, and destructive substances. To carry out the provisions of the Aviation Transportation and Security Act of 2001 (ATSA), the TSA has adopted former FAA rules requiring airport operators, air carriers, indirect air carriers, and foreign air carriers to carry out various duties for civil aviation security. Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), incorporates the following Transportation Security Regulations (TSRs) that concern aviation security: Part 1542 applies to certain airport operators; Part 1544 governs certain air carriers; Part 1546 applies to the operation of foreign air carriers; and Part 1548 applies to indirect air carriers such as freight forwarders, who engage indirectly in air transportation of property within the United States and sometimes operate out of GA facilities.⁴