Low Cost Airlines- A Risk to the Aviation.....

By Manju.V--TNN
Times of India.


Despite threat, airlines not spending enough on security

Your favourite airline may have gourmet fare on its menu. It may have the best check-in facilities, a well-appointed lounge, efficient cabin crew, good on-time performance and the best airfares the season can bring.

But, what no single airlines in India has is a reliable security network. Despite airlines being top terror targets and despite repeated warnings from Indian security agencies, airlines continue to cut costs on security bills with impunity.

What is amazing is that the amount spent on security comes to only about 0.75% to 1% of the total operating costs or about $70 (around Rs 2,900) a flight. This is the case with all airlines in India," a highly placed airline security official said. "But it does not make any sense to cut corners like this. The expenditure on security will go up to only $100 a flight (a little less than Rs 4100) if the minimum security measures recommended by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) are followed," he added.

Peeved by the airlines' lackadaisical handling of the matter, the BCAS called a meeting of aviation industries' top bosses in May this year and issued a circular stating that the recommendations should be "strictly implemented".

The circular, a copy of which is with TOI, says: "No action has been taken by (the) airlines to implement the committee's recommendations till date. It is, therefore, imperative that the following instructions are strictly implemented by (the) airlines with immediate effect.

That was in May. But nothing has changed despite the UK-terror expose and the numerous security threats to flying. None of the airlines is in a mood to spend that extra $ 25.

And, it's not about X-ray machines or passenger-frisking. The violations cover high-risk areas. Airlines, for instance, do not have even a single security personnel to guard the idle Boeings and Airbuses; they do not have any one posted in the area where check-in baggage is segregated for different destinations; pre-flight, anti-sabotage checks are hardly carried out in accordance with the details in the security manuals.

Time-saving measures adopted by the airlines mean they completely do away with a certificate of security that should be given to a commander when the aircraft is being handed over to him.

This certificate should be signed by the engineering department (it certifies that anti-sabotage measures have been carried out according to the inspection schedule); the catering department (it certifies that catering items have been checked and the crew received them without complaints); the ground support department (it certifies that
equipment attached to aircraft have been checked and only seal-ed/security cleared baggage has been loaded on board); the commercial department (it certifies that all baggage and cargo have been checked); and the security department (it certifies that all the above have been carried out).

"Only commanders of Air India, Indian Airlines get a certificate from the commercial department, accounting only for the security of baggage, passenger and cargo. The rest don't even get that," a BCAS official based in Delhi said.

The security recommendations were made in the R P Singh Committee's report dated June 2001.

The civil aviation ministry had constituted this committee to fix norms for deployment of airlines security staff.

Representatives from airlines like Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Air India were present on this committee.

The BCAS had called for the implementation of the committee's recommendations by September 2005 but nothing happened.

The recommendations are based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)'s guidelines, which means airlines in other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom follow them religiously.


VT
What ever said but it is difficult to believe that the Low Cost Airlines will follow what is told to them by the regulatory body.The top management for there own financial benefits risk the lives of thousand of passenger's every year.
VT

VT on security

National Threat Advisory Bulletin .....

I think the Aviation regulatory body should take a leaf out of the U.S Homeland Security and start a National Threat Advisory Bulletin on a day to day basis ,the air traveler and the general public has the right to know what are the threat levels in the country on a particular day, for that matter every citizen has the right to know.

We work in a system which has taught us " no one needs to know any thing if he is traveling by air then he should know better " keep the information to your self, some time i ...wonder "does he know what i know....... i can not do any thing ....I look at him and that's all...

Funny and amazing , nothing ever happens here for the positive after IC-814 and 9/11 the logical step should have been to start this bulletin but we did not,I think some one is waiting for some thing to happen...we have faced terrorism for the past 20 or more years and have lost approximately more than 40,000 people to it. We should be going ahead laying down standards to secure our skies... but the amazing part is that we are not at all bothered...

People get killed we don't learn from our past and from our mistakes, the system provides a knee jerk reaction to cover up for lost opportunities....or for its lack of initiatives..

The new threat is emerging now here is...as Nepalese govt and the Moist have parted way's , the influx of the Maoist carders in to India can not be ruled out...as the borders are open between both countries ....there has always been a threat to Indian aviation from the Maoist( Nepal) and other Indian groups...who have the same political bearing's .

A change has to come in the mind set of the Aviation security system here....other wise we may face problems....

Aviation (Airline) security here works with its one hand tied behind its back...pressurised by the airline management to take short cuts and the regulatory body standing on our heads...for a quid pro quo......