Dublin - Recent terrorist outrages, such as the attack at Brussels airport, were a grim reminder that governments and airlines had to keep guard constantly against “an agenda of darkness” that threatened innocent travellers.
Tony Tyler, head of the International Air Transport Association, told the association’s annual meeting in Ireland on Thursday that passenger plane accidents remained extremely rare and that flying was still “the safest way to travel”.
Last year for example, there was only one major accident for every 3.1 million flights, representing a 30 percent improvement in the airline industry’s five-year average.
Nevertheless, the recent Brussels airport attack and the death of 224 passengers and crew in the suspected bombing of the Russian Metrojet flight 9268 over the Sinai desert last October were all “grim reminders that terrorists do not care who they victimise”.
Risks
“Terrorist objectives are clearly bigger than aviation. Governments face the formidable challenge of protecting the values of free and open societies from people with an agenda of darkness,” Tyler said.
While it was up to governments to ensure safety and national security, the airline industry shared the same objective and was working with governments to reduce risks.
Tyler said airlines supported a new risk assessment scheme, the Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record, in which airlines provided advance data on their passengers to governments.
“Knowing in advance who is approaching the borders creates a window for risk assessment.”
It was also important that governments share the intelligence more effectively.
The Mercury