The UK’s former chief inspector of border security has accused the government of covering up his allegations that the Border Force failed to adequately screen business aircraft arriving at London City Airport (EGLC). In a report presented to parliament, David Neal highlighted what he said were failings in how flights categorized as “high risk” were screened at the airport-owned Private Jet Centre FBO, indicating that officials were at times under-resourced and had not been provided with sufficiently clear guidance and training.
In February, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly fired Neal for allegedly breaching “the terms of his appointment.” The government has yet to appoint a successor to the role, which is supposed to provide independent oversight of border security arrangements. Media coverage around Neal's departure and the concerns he has raised appears to have fueled a perception that private aviation, which is already the focus of adverse attention over environmental issues, might be enjoying unwarranted leeway in how it operates.
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Neal suggested that the issues identified at EGLC may also be happening at other airports, calling for closer scrutiny of business aviation movements. “If I were still in post, or if my successor had been appointed, then I would have expected to commence an inspection much more broadly into general aviation because clearly there are problems here,” he told the broadcaster’s "Today" show. “We’d want to do something right across the country, I suspect, but there is no one that can independently do this now.”
Border Force director general Phil Douglas said that some of the information in Neal’s report was based on inaccurate data. “Border security checks were carried out on all general aviation arrivals at London City Airport,” he insisted, without specifying whether these were in-person checks or remote screening of flight details.
During the British Business & General Aviation Association’s annual conference in London on March 7, FBOs and operators complained about the rising cost of security arrangements. Jason Hayward, general manager of Universal Aviation’s FBO at London Stansted Airport, said changing requirements imposed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority had resulted in spiraling costs. For instance, new C3 three-dimensional x-ray machines cost around £250,000 ($315,000) and swabs used to check bags for substances such as explosives residue cost £500 for 100 tests.