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| Saturday, 31 January 2004 |
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BA chief calls for greater co-operation to tackle terrorist attacks British Airways' Chief Executive Rod Eddington has called for closer co-operation between governments to tackle terrorist threats. Speaking at the International Aviation Club in Washington on January 20 he said; "No-one can pretend it is easy to get the balance right between protecting our customers and employees from terrorist attack while respecting their desire to go about their business without unnecessary hindra nce". "The aviation industry is too important a driver of economic activity to be the victim of terrorists' goals. Winning the war on terror and convincing customers it is safe to travel were vital. "While British Airways is 100 percent supportive of the efforts being made by governments to win the war on terror, what we do ask for is more co-operation and consultation between governments". "We need an international approach to an international problem. A unilateral imposition of longer term security measures can be counter productive." he warned. A joint approach between the European Union and U.S.A. on the recent demand for additional passenger data would have produced a quicker result. The need for sky marshals and biometric data on passports would also be best tackled by co-operative dialogue rather than imposition, he said. The cost of these measures should also be considered. The United States government pays the cost of additional security measures, but in Europe, many governments, including Britain, are opposed to fully funding extra security requirements. After September 11 terrorist attack, British Airways' additional security measures, such as installing reinforced cockpit doors across its entire fleet cost US$ 180 million. "The prospect of funding even more enhancements, such as anti-missile devices, is daunting and passing the extra costs on to passengers is not an option. Security funding is clearly an area where we do not have a level playing field and competition is distorted." he said. |
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