An investigation into how confidential personnel files were left unsecured will be concluded soon, the operators of Dundee Airport have revealed.
Staff had complained to management at the airport that several documents containing personal information had been left lying unattended in unsecured parts of the airport.
Although owned by Dundee City Council, the airport has been run by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) since 2008.
There were fears that the sensitive data could be used for identity theft as it contained the names of security staff, addresses, National Insurance numbers and even references from previous employers.
More seriously, the documents are also used to earn the security clearance that allows staff to work airside at any British airport.
At least three staff have been suspended as a “precautionary” measure while the internal investigation is concluded.
The Courier was told staff at the airport have contacted the Department of Transport directly about their concerns over the security of confidential files because they are unhappy with the way HIAL has handled the investigation.
A company spokeswoman said, “On April 18 HIAL was notified of a security breach at Dundee Airport involving some personal data, and the company was grateful to its staff for advising them of the issue.
“Following this, an internal investigation was launched and subsequently several staff members have been precautionary suspended whilst the company concludes its investigation, which it will do shortly.”
However there are rumours that the Department of Transport has demanded a meeting to discuss security at the airport.
“There is no foundation to the board visiting Dundee Airport to discuss security,” added the spokeswoman.