367 

Transportation Security Administration, DHS 

§ 1544.305 

of the threat, any evaluation thereof, 
and any measures to be applied; and 

(3) Immediately notify the appro-

priate airport operator. 

(b) 

Flight: Inspection. Upon receipt of 

a specific and credible threat to the se-
curity of a flight, each aircraft oper-
ator must attempt to determine wheth-
er or not any explosive or incendiary is 
present by doing the following: 

(1) Conduct a security inspection on 

the ground before the next flight or, if 
the aircraft is in flight, immediately 
after its next landing. 

(2) If the aircraft is on the ground, 

immediately deplane all passengers 
and submit that aircraft to a security 
search. 

(3) If the aircraft is in flight, imme-

diately advise the pilot in command of 
all pertinent information available so 
that necessary emergency action can 
be taken. 

(c) 

Ground facility. Upon receipt of a 

specific and credible threat to a spe-
cific ground facility at the airport, the 
aircraft operator must: 

(1) Immediately notify the appro-

priate airport operator. 

(2) Inform all other aircraft operators 

and foreign air carriers at the threat-
ened facility. 

(3) Conduct a security inspection. 
(d) 

Notification.  Upon receipt of any 

bomb threat against the security of a 
flight or facility, or upon receiving in-
formation that an act or suspected act 
of air piracy has been committed, the 
aircraft operator also must notify TSA. 
If the aircraft is in airspace under 
other than U.S. jurisdiction, the air-
craft operator must also notify the ap-
propriate authorities of the State in 
whose territory the aircraft is located 
and, if the aircraft is in flight, the ap-
propriate authorities of the State in 
whose territory the aircraft is to land. 
Notification of the appropriate air traf-
fic controlling authority is sufficient 
action to meet this requirement. 

§ 1544.305

Security Directives and In-

formation Circulars. 

(a) TSA may issue an Information 

Circular to notify aircraft operators of 
security concerns. When TSA deter-
mines that additional security meas-
ures are necessary to respond to a 
threat assessment or to a specific 

threat against civil aviation, TSA 
issues a Security Directive setting 
forth mandatory measures. 

(b) Each aircraft operator required to 

have an approved aircraft operator se-
curity program must comply with each 
Security Directive issued to the air-
craft operator by TSA, within the time 
prescribed in the Security Directive for 
compliance. 

(c) Each aircraft operator that re-

ceives a Security Directive must— 

(1) Within the time prescribed in the 

Security Directive, verbally acknowl-
edge receipt of the Security Directive 
to TSA. 

(2) Within the time prescribed in the 

Security Directive, specify the method 
by which the measures in the Security 
Directive have been implemented (or 
will be implemented, if the Security 
Directive is not yet effective). 

(d) In the event that the aircraft op-

erator is unable to implement the 
measures in the Security Directive, the 
aircraft operator must submit proposed 
alternative measures and the basis for 
submitting the alternative measures to 
TSA for approval. The aircraft oper-
ator must submit the proposed alter-
native measures within the time pre-
scribed in the Security Directive. The 
aircraft operator must implement any 
alternative measures approved by TSA. 

(e) Each aircraft operator that re-

ceives a Security Directive may com-
ment on the Security Directive by sub-
mitting data, views, or arguments in 
writing to TSA. TSA may amend the 
Security Directive based on comments 
received. Submission of a comment 
does not delay the effective date of the 
Security Directive. 

(f) Each aircraft operator that re-

ceives a Security Directive or Informa-
tion Circular and each person who re-
ceives information from a Security Di-
rective or Information Circular must: 

(1) Restrict the availability of the Se-

curity Directive or Information Cir-
cular, and information contained in ei-
ther document, to those persons with 
an operational need-to-know. 

(2) Refuse to release the Security Di-

rective or Information Circular, and in-
formation contained in either docu-
ment, to persons other than those with 
an operational need-to-know without 
the prior written consent of TSA. 

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