NEWS: Security Chief says airline terror measures ‘unsustainable’
By Ben Hall
Published: August 13 2006 14:06 | Last updated: August 13 2006 14:06
ft.com
Stringent security measures imposed on airline passengers last week against the threat of a terrorist attack are unsustainable, John Reid, home secretary, conceded on Sunday.
With airlines and airports operators locked in a blame game over the continuing chaos at Heathrow and other airports, Mr Reid acknowledged the government had introduced a “terribly inconvenient regime” of restrictions on travellers and said it would need to be changed.
“The present regime is time limited. We know it is not indefinitely sustainable,” Mr Reid told the BBC. The government was working with airlines and BAA, which operates Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted to put in place new security procedures.
Ministers are under growing pressure to intervene to alleviate the chaos at airports stemming from tighter security measures.
David Davis, shadow home secretary, on Sunday called for troops to be deployed at airports to help speed up checks on passengers. “BAA is clearly not set up for this level of scrutiny and it does seem to me there is an argument for some resources being put in there, and put in there quickly, to try and rescue as many holidays as we possibly can,” he said.
Disruption at London’s airports remains severe, three days after security controls were tightened drastically, with passengers banned from taking hand luggage aboard aircraft.
British Airways has cancelled a third of its flights from Heathrow and 20 from Gatwick, while Ryanair has cancelled 30 of its flights from Stansted.
Mr Davis was echoing the call of Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, for government to provide “additional security staffing, either police or army reserve personnel, to prevent London’s main airports grinding to a halt over the coming days”. |
