News
Europe threatens tit for tat retaliation for U.S. laptop bans
May 26th 2017
Orient Aviation has been told the European Commission (EC) has insisted that the in-flight ban of personal electronics devices (PEDs) be extended to all Europe-bound flights originating in the U.S. and the UK if the two countries extend the devices ban on all departing flights from the European Union. Read More » Officials from the EC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security met again this week to discuss the issue.
In the interim, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has voiced opposition to an extension of the PEDs ban. AAPA director general, Andrew Herdman, said passengers already were subject to onerous and inconsistent security screening measures before boarding a flight and endured discrepancies in screening procedures at different airports.
Herdman said the airline industry had not been consulted or at the very least informed before the restrictions were announced to the public, which put airlines in an awkward position, AAPA said. They were scrambling to comply with the new directives as they had to deal with their unhappy passengers.
In addition, safety concerns about the large numbers of lithium battery powered PEDs being stowed in an aircraft cargo bay, contrary to recognized best safety practices, remain unresolved.
“The AAPA understands the need to maintain the highest levels of security in air transportation and airlines are committed to working closely with government security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that air travel remains safe, secure and convenient,” the association said.
“Despite recent events, public confidence in the safety and security of air travel remains high. It would be a tragedy if that confidence were to be undermined by ill-judged reactionary measures being misguidedly imposed by those entrusted with maintaining public safety.
The “ripple effects of such measures and their proposed wider expansion threaten to disrupt the global economy and impose far greater costs on society with no tangible public security benefits. This would only serve to further the aims of the terrorists, who measure their success by how much society over-reacts to their provocations. Rather than focus on generalized screening of innocent passengers, past experience with evolving threats and terrorist plots repeatedly highlight the critical importance of effective intelligence gathering and analysis."
Herdman urged “governments, in conjunction with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), to work together more closely with industry, and strengthen multilateral cooperation in further developing aviation security measures."
