Why are taxpayers funding security at privately-owned airports?

The Taxpayers’ Union is questioning why taxpayers are funding security at privately-owned airports, as it reveals that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) employs 1,855 staff (excluding casuals, contractors, board members and staff on leave), making it larger than the United Kingdom’s 1,602 employees, which handles around ten times as many passengers.

This is because New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible not only for aviation regulation, but also for running passenger and baggage screening. Making it larger than the United Kingdom’s regulator, despite ten times as many passengers travelling through British airports.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Taxpayers in New Zealand, a country less than one-tenth the size of the UK, are paying for an aviation regulator much larger than the UK’s, because it is doing jobs the UK regulator simply doesn’t do.”

“Once you strip out the security workforce, the actual regulatory function is smaller. Which raises the question of why we are running airport security through a government agency in the first place?”

“The United Kingdom’s airports handle ten times more passengers, yet their regulator focuses on oversight while airports themselves run screening.”

“When some of our airports privately owned, taxpayers are entitled to ask why they are paying to run airport security at all, and the Civil Aviation Authority focusing only on regulation and enforcement.”

The United Kingdoms Civil Aviation Authority annual report can be found here

The Official Information Act request showing that the Aviation Security Service employs 1,349 staff excluding casuals, contractors, board members and staff on leave can be found here