Third airline grounds US flight
BA also cancelled several flights in January over security fears
A third airline has grounded a flight to the US for security reasons.
Continental Airlines has cancelled Sunday’s 1215 GMT Flight 17 from Glasgow to Los Angeles via New York.
It comes after British Airways and Air France called off eight US-bound flights on Sunday and Monday, amid fears al-Qaeda may be targeting them.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it remained “concerned about al-Qaeda’s desire to target aviation, especially international aviation”.
Flights BA 223 from London Heathrow to Washington on Sunday and Monday are hit as well as return flights BA 222.
A BA flight to Miami on Sunday was also grounded on security advice, as were four Air France flights.
“The US intelligence community continues to gather specific credible threat information on international flights,” it added.
US officials said they had received reports of “al-Qaeda’s desire to target” five or six specific flights from Europe, Reuters news agency reported.
Terror fears
A BA spokeswoman said safety was the airline’s top priority.
“The safety and security of our operations is our absolute priority and will not be compromised,” she said.
The first priority is always the safety of the travelling public
Department for Transport
Air France flights AF026 were cancelled Sunday and Monday “for reasons of security,” spokeswoman Veronique Brachet said.
The return flights on Sunday and Monday from Washington to Paris – AF027 – were also cancelled, the AFP news agency reported.
Paul Wilkinson, professor of international relations at the University of St Andrews, said security agencies must have had evidence of a specific threat to cancel the flights.
He said: “Flight cancellations are exceptional measures. America is convinced there was a threat to flights bound for the US in early January – that threat has not been eradicated.”
Mustafa Alani, from the Royal United Services Institute, said the information could come from two sources.
“We have the human intelligence, basically an informer or a group that passes on such information, or we have electronic intelligence, the chatter and internet exchange between al-Qaeda groups and network.”
CANCELLATIONS
BA flight 203 London-Miami 1 Feb
BA flight 223 London-Washington 1 Feb & 2 Feb
BA flight 222 Washington-London 1 Feb & 2 Feb
Air France AF026 Paris-Washington 1 Feb & 2 Feb
Air France AF207 Washington-Paris 1 Feb & 2 Feb
BA’s Flight 223 was the subject of concern early in January, when it was cancelled twice because of security fears and then delayed for hours several more times.
US officials said on Friday new intelligence indicated BA Flight 223 and Air France flights from Paris to an unspecified US city could be terror targets.
A British Department for Transport spokesman said the decision to cancel the flights was made “in the light of information received”.
He said: “Aviation security measures are adjusted from time to time, and occasional cancellations may be necessary.
“The first priority is always the safety of the travelling public.”
The US Homeland Security Department has said it has no plans to raise its current alert level.
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