Developing key performance indicators for airport safety and security

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to outline the findings from a research project seeking to develop and test a set of key performance indicators for airport facility management, with particular focus on safety and security. Design/methodology/approach - A case study approach was adopted for this project and data was collected from a series of interviews, workshops, the internet and other media. Findings - The need for airport security and safety is paramount, post 9/11. Airports generate revenue from the facilities they provide so they seek to maximise their potential revenues but must do so with safety and security foremost in the operators' minds. In the UK a system for boosting security at the airports termed "multi-agency threat and risk assessments" has been developed jointly by the Department for Transport and the Home Office after Sir John Wheeler's report on airport security and policing in 2002. This provides a framework for this research and enables the evaluation of current practice to be undertaken. Originality/value - Previous research has not directly measured the relative performance of airport safety and security and the role of facility management in achieving that level of performance and this is the focus of the study. This paper concludes by presenting a potential list of key performance indicators for airport safety and security that emerged from the interviews and workshops. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.