Linking aviation security failures to human-mediated error. A review of the related literatures with directions for policy and research

Given the continued growth of air traffic demand and the importance of preventing aviation security failures in this increasingly complex system, this paper offers a review of the relevant literatures relating to the linkages between aviation security failures and human-mediated error. It argues that academics, security professionals and policymakers have given very little consideration to the complexity of these linkages; understanding how human errors can create hidden modes of failure that can be exploited by terrorists and other threat groups. This paper discusses how the literatures in other related fields can be used to explain how human-mediated errors are created and incubated, and how these error types can evolve to become system vulnerabilities and exploitable modes of aviation security failure. The paper concludes by identifying a significant gap in the current theoretical discourse. Implications for actionable policy and research recommendations include taking a fresh approach to proactively mitigating risk; implementing an over-arching risk management strategy which includes analysing data relating to aviation security failures and developing predictive models to detect abnormal and sub-optimal security performance.