An aviation security training instructor who previously pleaded guilty to forgery at Birmingham Crown Court, following an investigation led by the UK Civil Aviation Authority has been sentenced today. Shoaib Iqbal, 40 of Birmingham, falsified training certificates and training records for security operatives whilst working at Birmingham Airport.
On 28 November 2025, Mr Iqbal was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months and ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work. Mr Iqbal was also ordered to pay costs of £750 to the UK’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, who brought the prosecution.
In its role to ensure the aviation industry manages security risks effectively, the regulator found that Mr Iqbal had forged certificates related to the certification of airport security operatives.
Peter Drissell, Director of Aviation Security for the Civil Aviation Authority, said:
“The UK’s high standards of aviation security rely on ensuring that appropriate training is delivered to staff across the industry by qualified instructors via registered training providers.
“We uncovered a clear abuse of trust and responsibility by someone working in airport security at one of the UK’s main airports.
“By prosecuting we are protecting the public and professional confidence in the high standards set for aviation security in the UK.”
All security operatives at UK airports must be trained by a Certificated Aviation Security Instructor. The forged training certificates and records implied refresher training had been completed, when it had not been. Although no harm was caused in fact, the integrity of the aviation security system was breached causing a risk of harm to the Airport’s security operations. Birmingham Airport had to urgently retrain and redeploy staff.