GUARDS FOR UK FLIGHTS
Armed sky marshals are to be put on some UK passenger planes, in response to the heightened state of alert in the US, the Government has announced.
Extra security measures for air travel have also been put in place on the ground.
The guards will be dressed as ordinary passengers.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said: “The last few days have seen the United States increase their general threat and security levels and what we are proposing is a proportionate and appropriate level of response at a time when the threat to both our countries and around the world remains real and serious.
“I can assure the travelling public that if we believed it was not safe for them to travel or fly we would say so. What we are proposing are some sensible additional security measures.”
But the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said: “We don’t want guns on planes, it’s dangerous to have guns on planes and there are other things you can do like investing in security measures on the ground.”
Passengers may have longer delays as a result of the increased security levels, the Government said.
The specially-trained, armed police officers aim to thwart any attempted terrorist takeover of the cockpit during a flight.
US aviation was put on high alert following reports last week that a US city was the target of a suspected plot to turn a French airliner into a missile.
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December 28, 2003 at 11:23 pm