Airport Security Guidelines Manual
December 30, 2019
Page 3-14
2. The number of access points shall be limited to the minimum that is operationally necessary, as
determined by the airport operator.
3. Portals, including gates and fire egress doors, must prevent unauthorized entry by any person to
the Sterile Area, and to the Secured Area, which includes airside and baggage make-up areas.
Doors must also comply with applicable local fire and life safety codes and Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, among others. The reliance upon security guards in lieu of
electronic access control technology is not permitted. Discussions with local building and/or life
safety code officials shall take place early to resolve special design issues, including how to
accomplish the securing of fire doors.
4. Sterile Areas shall be designed and constructed to prevent articles from being passed from non-
Sterile Areas into Sterile or Secured Areas such as restrooms, airline lounges and kitchen facilities,
through plumbing chases, air vents, drains, trash chutes, utility tunnels, or other channels.
5. During construction or modification of facilities, provisions must be made to ensure that any
individual who has not undergone screening is prevented from having contact with a screened
person inside the Sterile Area.
6. New terminal plans shall provide as much distance as possible between exits from the Sterile Area
and the nearest TSA screening checkpoint.
7. No vendors or other material deliveries shall be processed through the passenger screening
checkpoint into the Sterile Area.
3.5.3. Exclusive Use Area
An exclusive use area is any portion of a Sterile or Secured Area, AOA, or SIDA, including individual access
points, for which an aircraft operator or foreign air carrier with a security program under 49 CFR §§ 1544
or 1546 assumes security responsibilities under an Exclusive Area Agreement (EAA) with the Port
Authority, under 49 CFR § 1542.111. The EAA, which is incorporated into the Port Authority’s Airport
Security Program (ASP), must be approved first by the Port Authority and thereafter by TSA.
Within the exclusive use area, the responsible aircraft operator or foreign air carrier must perform security
control requirements described in the EAA. Pursuant to the EAA, the aircraft operator, not the Port
Authority, must control access and movement within the exclusive area.
Specific requirements and conditions are contained in the EAA, including a description of very specific
areas for which the aircraft operator assumes security responsibilities. This does not include law
enforcement responsibilities, which always remain with the Port Authority.
3.5.4. Airport Tenant Security Program Area
The Airport Tenant Security Program (ATSP) identifies areas within the Port Authority aviation facilities
specified by agreement between the Port Authority and airport tenants that stipulates the measures by
which the tenant shall assume security responsibility under 49 CFR § 1542.113. ATSPs detail the security