Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Aircraft security

Sir, — All air passengers are conscious of the need for increased security precautions at airports and in aircraft, but the concept is now being carried to a silly extreme.

Plastic has replaced steel for cutlery in meal services, and the list of prohibited items in carry-on baggage has been progressively expanded to include common toiletry items such as nail cutters, trimming scissors, hairpins and shaving blades. But how much more dangerous can any of these items be as potential weapons within the cabin when compared, say, to a heavy briefcase, or a length of cord, or even a muscular pair of bare hands? All are strong-built men to be handcuffed before being permitted to board the aircraft?

Let common sense prevail. Security considerations demand only that materials that can damage the aircraft be prohibited from the cabin, and that unauthorised access to the cockpit be rendered impossible.

J. Gowrishankar,

Hyderabad

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• The apprehensions remain
• Animals and experiments
• Governance, after Gujarat
• The rise of Modi
• `Ugly terror'
• PM's doublespeak
• War on terror
• Death sentence
• Aircraft security
• Linking of rivers
• Castes galore

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu