Regional Affairs

GA security measures not needed at airport, AOPA says

Discussions to extend the security identification area (SIDA) to cover general aviation with airline-type security measures at Norman Y. Mineta/San Jose International Airport (SJC) are not necessary, AOPA told the airport manager. GA is inherently not a terrorist threat, AOPA maintained, and the GA terminal is more than a mile across the airport property from the air carrier terminal. In a letter to airport manager Ralph Tonseth, AOPA Vice President of Regional Affairs Roger Cohen wrote that such a move "would require these general aviation tenants to undergo fingerprinting and background checks, and to display a SIDA badge in order to access their own aircraft." AOPA also noted that the association has worked closely with officials at the federal, state, and local levels to enhance security at GA facilities, and that both the federal government and GA industry have taken numerous steps since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to implement security measures.