BEAV $6.76 B/E Aerospace Cockpit Security Offering Draws Interest From Carriers
BEAV
By Sean Broderick / AviationNow.com
21-Sep-2001 2:04 PM U.S. EDT
Aircraft interiors specialist B/E Aerospace is developing a cockpit security upgrade and has drawn interest from several carriers, company executives report. Speaking on a quarterly earnings call this week, the executives said the company has developed a "cockpit surround" system designed to make the flight deck area more secure from intruders, such as hijackers.
B/E/ Aerospace President and CEO Robert Khoury said that four airlines have expressed interest in the system, which would have to gain U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certification before installations could begin. "We don't know what the size of the market is yet," Khoury said on the call. He predicted that a "large number" of the 12,000-odd planes in the world airline fleet would be a candidate for some sort of cockpit security upgrade. That, he said, could translate into a market worth "more than a billion dollars in revenue." Said Khoury: "I'm not making any projections, but we have developed the system and are hopeful it will generate some business for us." Citing "competitive concerns," company executives declined to elaborate on the system when contacted by AviationNow.com.
On the call, Khoury said the system would be designed to easily incorporate cameras installed in the cockpit. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that FAA require cockpit cameras to augment onboard information gathering done by cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, but resistance from pilots and other groups has made the issue a thorny one. Upgrading aircraft onboard security - particularly in and around the cockpit - is a prime focus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in which four U.S. airliners were commandeered by hijackers and crashed into targets.
On Thursday, Air Line Pilots Association President Duane Woerth proposed 28 near-term and long-term recommendations for improving airline security. Four of them called for new equipment on planes, including better locks on current cockpit doors and mesh barriers to back the doors up; a stronger, "advanced" cockpit door; "discrete" communications switches that would let flight attendants talk to the flight deck without attracting attention by picking up an interphone; and full-face oxygen masks to protect pilots from "chemical/biological agent" attacks. Woerth made his recommendations during a hearing on aviation security held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. A task force set up by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta in the wake of last week's attacks is looking at cockpit security.
Stronger cockpit doors have become a priority in the last few years in response to heightened awareness of air-rage incidents. Several companies, including Boeing, are working on stronger doors that could become part of a larger cockpit security upgrade plan.
aviationnow.com. 21.xml
B/E Aerospace Cockpit Security Offering Draws Interest From Carriers
By Sean Broderick / AviationNow.com
21-Sep-2001 2:04 PM U.S. EDT
Aircraft interiors specialist B/E Aerospace is developing a cockpit security upgrade and has drawn interest from several carriers, company executives report. Speaking on a quarterly earnings call this week, the executives said the company has developed a "cockpit surround" system designed to make the flight deck area more secure from intruders, such as hijackers.
B/E/ Aerospace President and CEO Robert Khoury said that four airlines have expressed interest in the system, which would have to gain U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certification before installations could begin. "We don't know what the size of the market is yet," Khoury said on the call. He predicted that a "large number" of the 12,000-odd planes in the world airline fleet would be a candidate for some sort of cockpit security upgrade. That, he said, could translate into a market worth "more than a billion dollars in revenue." Said Khoury: "I'm not making any projections, but we have developed the system and are hopeful it will generate some business for us." Citing "competitive concerns," company executives declined to elaborate on the system when contacted by AviationNow.com.
On the call, Khoury said the system would be designed to easily incorporate cameras installed in the cockpit. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that FAA require cockpit cameras to augment onboard information gathering done by cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, but resistance from pilots and other groups has made the issue a thorny one. Upgrading aircraft onboard security - particularly in and around the cockpit - is a prime focus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in which four U.S. airliners were commandeered by hijackers and crashed into targets.
On Thursday, Air Line Pilots Association President Duane Woerth proposed 28 near-term and long-term recommendations for improving airline security. Four of them called for new equipment on planes, including better locks on current cockpit doors and mesh barriers to back the doors up; a stronger, "advanced" cockpit door; "discrete" communications switches that would let flight attendants talk to the flight deck without attracting attention by picking up an interphone; and full-face oxygen masks to protect pilots from "chemical/biological agent" attacks. Woerth made his recommendations during a hearing on aviation security held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. A task force set up by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta in the wake of last week's attacks is looking at cockpit security.
Stronger cockpit doors have become a priority in the last few years in response to heightened awareness of air-rage incidents. Several companies, including Boeing, are working on stronger doors that could become part of a larger cockpit security upgrade plan.
aviationnow.com. 21.xml |
