Airport security exposed

THE MOCK HIJACK operation of a Jet Airways aircraft at the Bangalore airport on Saturday has fully exposed the abominable standards of security at the airports, even after the hijack of an Indian Airlines flight just over two months ago. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) was quite right in conducting this mock hijack to sound another wake-up call to the security authorities and the airlines. It is high time that the airport management at all centres woke up to this real threat from both terrorist and crazed hijackers, so that the passengers and crews are spared another ordeal like the one in Kandahar. As the BCAS officials found out for themselves, it is possible to smuggle any kind of weapon into the aircraft to conduct a hijack operation. Fortunately, they had taken at least the flight commander into confidence to prevent undue panic in the cockpit. But it is good for the pilots and cabin crew also to be exposed to the grave risk they now face from hijackers and the total disregard for security at the airports. Only then can they be prepared for the ultimate drama in the skies. Without making it commonplace, the Bureau will do well to periodically try such mock operations in different regions to test the security at the airports. They must at least test the screening process in all the airports.

Despite the tall claims by the Civil Aviation Ministry, it is clear from what happened in Bangalore that the message had until now not gone down to the level of all airports. Even assuming that the four major international airports may be better off, there are international flights operating to many other regional centres now. Given the extent of infiltration of terrorists from different groups, they can strike terror at any time. There are three key elements in the security check at any airport - the checked-in baggage, the hand baggage and the passenger. All the checked-in baggage invariably goes through an X-ray machine and in most airports there is only a scanner for bunched flights. This results in long queues and some laxity in the checks. The hand baggage and the passenger are screened at the security check-points prior to boarding. Though this can be tamper-proof, it is shocking to see how the hijackers and in this case the Bureau staff in Bangalore, could smuggle in the weapons without being detected. This only means that hand baggage must be physically opened and seen by the security staff.

Soon after the Indian Airlines hijack, the Aviation Ministry announced that there would be an additional, physical security check of passengers just before they board the aircraft. The question is: are they doing it at all airports and for all flights? The ease with which guns, revolvers, grenades and knives, besides explosives have been taken on board makes a mockery of the security system. As part of the liberalisation process, the Aviation Ministry has announced plans to lease out the major airports on a long term basis to private bidders. It is possible that these companies or agencies may review the entire security system and install more sophisticated and functional equipment to keep a tab. The reliability will depend not only on machines, but also on the personnel manning them. It may also be worthwhile to raise a battery of sniffer dogs on an experimental basis to look for explosives. At least after the Bangalore fiasco, it is high time all the airports took their security arrangements seriously and followed a meticulous drill. They must put in place a crisis management group and equip themselves for the challenge that lies ahead. The country cannot afford another Kandahar.

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