Blog

Regulated Agent & Known Consignor: the Secure Air Cargo Chain

A regulated agent secures other parties' cargo as it moves through the supply chain; a known consignor secures its own cargo at origin. Both are approved and audited by the state under ICAO Annex 17.

air-cargo-security regulated-agent known-consignor4 min read

Tehran FIR on High Alert: Sustained Military Air Activity and Civilian Overflight Risk in Iranian Airspace

Multiple military aircraft from several nations have been detected transiting Tehran FIR in recent days, coinciding with an active Iran-Israel armed conflict indicator. Operators with routes through Iranian airspace should reassess exposure urgently.

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Ukraine and Russia FIR Military Activity: NATO and Allied Aircraft Intensify Presence as Kyiv-Kursk Conflict Continues

NATO surveillance platforms, allied military transports, and unidentified military aircraft have been detected inside Kyiv FIR repeatedly in the past week, as active armed conflict indicators for both Ukraine and Russian Kursk Oblast remain confirmed.

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Delta Flight 1076 Struck by Firework on Approach to Chicago Midway: A Reminder of Low-Altitude External Threat to Aircraft

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 was struck by a firework while on final approach to Chicago Midway Airport on 4 July, highlighting the underappreciated risk that improvised pyrotechnics and uncontrolled ground-launched projectiles pose to aircraft in terminal phases.

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Who Is Responsible for Air Cargo Security?

Air cargo security is a shared responsibility under ICAO Annex 17: the state sets the rules, and aircraft operators, regulated agents, and known consignors each secure their own link in the supply chain.

air-cargo-security icao-annex-17 avsec5 min read

BlogJul 6, 2026

Aviation Conflict-Event Tempo, June–July 2026: The Spike Reverted, the Footprint Did Not

The June 2026 conflict-event spike over Iranian airspace is gone, but the airspace risk it created is not. Iran's share of aviation conflict events fell from a 13.5% June peak back to about 5% by early July — yet AeroVigil's contested-airspace classifications kept compounding, peaking two weeks after the tempo.

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BlogJun 29, 2026

GNSS Interference: GPS Jamming & Spoofing in Aviation

GNSS interference is the deliberate jamming or spoofing of the satellite navigation signals that aircraft rely on for position, navigation and precise timing. Jamming denies the signal; spoofing replaces it with a convincing fake.

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BlogJun 24, 2026

ACC3, RA3 & KC3: EU Air Cargo Security Validation Explained

ACC3 is the EU designation an airline needs to fly cargo or mail into the European Union from a non-EU airport. It rests on validated RA3 regulated agents and KC3 known consignors, so freight bound for Europe is secured at its foreign origin.

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BlogJun 24, 2026

Air Cargo Security: How Air Freight Is Screened and Secured

Air cargo security uses screening and a regulated secure supply chain to keep dangerous items out of freight and mail on aircraft. Unlike passenger screening, it secures a chain of custody that begins at the shipper, not the airport.

aviation security air cargo security cargo screening6 min read

BlogJun 22, 2026

Iran Airspace Event Tempo, June 2026: A Mid-Month Spike and a Persistent Avoidance Footprint

Conflict-event tempo over Iranian airspace nearly doubled in a single week in June 2026, then reverted — but AeroVigil's contested-airspace classifications kept compounding long after the headlines faded, revealing a persistent overflight-risk footprint that matters more to dispatchers than the spike itself.

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BlogJun 15, 2026

Understanding NOTAMs & Airspace Restrictions

A NOTAM is how the aviation system tells crews what changed since the chart was printed — a runway closure, a new restricted area, a GPS-jamming warning. This guide explains what NOTAMs are, how the ICAO format is structured, and how prohibited, restricted and danger areas differ.

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BlogJun 6, 2026

Conflict Zone & Overflight Risk: The Complete Guide

Open airspace is not safe airspace — a core lesson from MH17 and PS752. This guide breaks down how structured conflict-zone overflight risk assessments work in practice, from SAM-system threat mapping and GNSS interference to regulatory prohibitions, insurance pressure, and repeatable decision workflows.

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BlogJun 6, 2026

ICAO Annex 17 Requirements: What States, Airports and Operators Must Do

ICAO Annex 17 assigns concrete, enforceable obligations to States, airports, and aircraft operators — from the NCASP and access control to cargo supply chains, cyber security, and quality control audits. This is the practitioner's reference for the Twelfth Edition Standards.

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BlogJun 5, 2026

What Is Aviation Security? The Complete Guide

Aviation security covers far more than checkpoint screening — from conflict-zone overflight and GNSS spoofing to insider threats and cargo supply-chain controls. This guide maps the full scope, the international framework, and how airlines assess and manage security risk today.

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GNSS Vulnerabilities at Major U.S. Hubs: LAX and JFK GPS Degradation and NOTAM-Driven Navigation Constraints

NOTAMs at LAX and JFK signal GPS interference and aging DME outages that narrow approach options and expose a critical gap: RNAV-equipped aircraft lose their primary navigation source with no DME fallback if GPS is jammed or spoofed.

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Middle East and North Africa Overflight Risk: GNSS Jamming, Military Activity, and Airspace Closures in 2026

Sustained GNSS jamming below FL320, SAM activity over Yemen, and near-zero ADS-B traffic across six MENA FIRs signal a materially elevated threat environment in 2026. Operators must treat active NOTAMs as hard avoidance zones and validate inertial navigation redundancy before any regional operation.

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Cockpit Access and Unruly Passenger Incidents: Renewed Insider Threat and Security Posture Assessment

Two attempted cockpit breaches on United Airlines flights reveal that physical door hardening alone is insufficient — procedural gaps, uneven crew training, and latent insider threat remain the industry's most exploitable vulnerabilities.

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Military Aircraft Activity Surge in Ukraine Airspace Despite Ongoing Conflict Risk

ADS-B surveillance has detected multiple military transport and logistics aircraft inside Ukraine's Kyiv FIR, confirming the airspace remains operationally active and contested. Civil overflight is not viable for standard commercial operations without government coordination, dedicated corridor approval, and…

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Widespread Airspace Avoidance Across Middle East, North Africa, and Russia FIRs Reflects Persistent Regional Risk

Sustained ADS-B surveillance reveals near-zero commercial overflight across Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and adjacent FIRs — operators are voluntarily excluding these regions based on air-defense activity, drone proliferation, ATC degradation, and insurance exposure, not waiting for formal airspace closures.

airspace avoidance conflict zone middle east4 min read

Cairo FIR Military Activity and Suez Region Risk: Implications for North Africa and Red Sea Overflight

Active military operations confirmed inside Egypt's Cairo FIR—including surveillance aircraft and air-defense readiness—raise the operational risk profile for carriers transiting Red Sea, Suez, and Mediterranean corridors.

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Baltic GPS Jamming in 2025: A GNSS Integrity Case Study

GPS jamming over the Baltic became routine in 2025. Lithuania logged more than 1,000 interference reports in June alone — 22 times the prior year — and jamming has already forced scheduled flights to divert.

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What Is Crew Layover Security? Duty of Care for Airline Crews

Crew layover security is the protection of flight crews during rest periods away from base — at hotels and in destination cities. Learn the risks, the duty-of-care obligation behind it, and how airlines monitor and brief their crews.

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What Is AVSEC? Aviation Security and ICAO Annex 17 Explained

AVSEC (Aviation Security) is the discipline of protecting civil aviation from deliberate, unlawful acts — hijacking, sabotage, attacks and insider threats. Learn how ICAO Annex 17 frames it and how it differs from aviation safety.

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What Is a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT)?

A Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) is a structured method for scoring the cumulative risk of a specific flight before departure. Learn what factors it weighs, why regulators expect it, and how automated FRATs differ from paper checklists.

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What Is Conflict Zone Airspace Risk? Overflight Risk Explained

Conflict zone airspace risk is the danger civil aircraft face when flying over or near areas of armed conflict — from surface-to-air missiles to GPS jamming. Here is how the risk arises, who warns about it, and how operators decide.

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What Is Aviation Security Intelligence? A Complete Guide

Aviation security intelligence is the practice of collecting and analysing information about threats to flight operations so airlines can make better route, destination and crew decisions. Here is how it works and who uses it.

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