This article explains how the proposed change would alter qualification requirements for airport security operators and the safeguards that would replace them.
A separate physical-security entry requirement would go
Poland’s Infrastructure Ministry is preparing an amendment to aviation law that would remove the requirement for airport security operators to appear on the list of qualified physical-security personnel. The proposal was published in the government’s legislative work programme, so it describes planned legislation rather than a rule already in force. At present, operators who screen passengers, baggage and cargo must hold both an OKB operator certificate and the additional physical-security listing. The ministry considers the second condition excessive. For airport operators and ground-handling providers, the change would alter which qualifications can be required from staff carrying out screening work.
Task-specific certification would remain the core test
The proposed model separates passenger and cargo screening from physical protection duties. The ministry says European Union rules require people conducting security screening to hold an operator certificate, while most EU countries do not combine that work with qualifications linked to firearms training or physical intervention techniques. An operator would still need citizenship of an EU, EFTA or Swiss state, be at least 18, pass an extended background check, have suitable psychological and physical capacity, hold an OKB certificate and appear on the list of operators maintained by the president of Poland’s Civil Aviation Authority. In procurement terms, this is a shift towards role-specific eligibility rather than a single broader security credential.
Armed protection would remain a separate compensating control
The ministry says the proposed deregulation would not reduce airport security because physical protection would be provided through a separate layer. Airport security services would have to maintain armed posts or patrols at screening points, staffed by qualified physical-security personnel and ready to intervene immediately in a threat. The proposal would also broaden the security considerations applied when permits are issued for ground-handling operations, including state security, critical infrastructure, public order and public health. These considerations currently apply mainly to permits for managing airports. The arrangement illustrates a transferable procurement mechanism: a lower entry burden for one operational function can be paired with a mandatory, independently defined protective capability.
The same package would raise the maximum airport fine
The draft assumptions also propose increasing the maximum fine issued by Border Guard officers for breaches of airport rules, airport-management prohibitions or an aircraft commander’s instructions from 500 złotych to 5,000 złotych. The ministry says the existing ceiling does not reflect the social harm of some offences, particularly where safety, health or life may be endangered. The amendment would also align Polish law with newer EU rules on the single European airspace and create sanctions for breaches of certain EU aviation provisions. The government says the European Commission expects Poland to establish those penalties and that failure to do so could lead to infringement proceedings. The source article does not report that the changes have yet been enacted.
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The proposal therefore changes the division of responsibilities rather than removing security requirements: screening staff would be assessed through OKB certification and related checks, while qualified physical-security personnel would provide the armed response capability.
Reported from turystyka.rp.pl, 2026-09-22. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
