Tourism industry hit hard

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 12. The global aviation industry which was just coming out of recession will be hit hard by the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States. Experts fear a slow down - both in global aviation and tourism sectors - as large scale cancellations of air and hotel bookings were reported today.

Even as all airlines announced cancellation of their flights to the U.S., the tourists have decisively opted out of travel. United Airlines which lost two Boeing aircraft that were used as killer weapons in the attacks, has grounded all its flights all over the world. Air India, Delta, British Airways, North-West, Lufthansa also announced cancellation of flights from India to the U.S. and Canada as both have closed their air space. Even U.K. has temporarily closed its air space. British Airways announced has cancellation of services to Islamabad and Tel Aviv, for security reasons. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific have suspended passenger and freighter services to the U.S. indefinitely. The Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Shahnawaz Hussain, who returned from Patna today held a meeting with senior officials to review aviation and airport security which has been put on high alert.

Later speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Hussain said it was decided to cover all the airport operational areas such as runways, aprons and bays at all international airports as well as some of the sensitive ones, under a network of close-circuit television cameras. He said after the alleged LTTE attack at Colombo airport in July, aviation security had been further tightened. ``The Indian security system of physical frisking is still far ahead of some of the Western countries which are totally equipment- based,'' he said. Sources in the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said security had been beefed up and all airports were on high alert. Instructions had been issued to set up double barrier check posts at access points to the airports. This was to provide tiers of resistance to suicide squads. Airlines have been asked to strictly adhere to ladder point checks of passenger hand baggage. The Airport Security Committee chaired by Mr. Inderjit Singh, also reviewed the contingency plan at the IGI airport. To prevent tampering with checked-in baggage after the X-ray screening by security, it was decided to bring them under CTVs.

Meanwhile, tour operators are disappointed that just when the season was picking up with student rush to the U.S. and Canada, this tragedy has happened. The chairman of Pearl Aviation and Tours, Mr. Kishen Seth, said already there had been heavy cancellations and queries were just pouring in. ``It is clear that in the days to come, only need-based travel will take place to the United States. Moreover passengers will now shift from the U.S. carriers to others. The effects of this attack will be bad on the industry.'' The president of the ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on Aviation and Tourism, Mr. Subhash Goyal, concurred. He said his company had reported cancellations upto 20 per cent in a day in tour bookings to the U.K. and the USA. ``The aviation and tourism industry will slip into recession again.'' Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has asked all its member airlines to tighten security.

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