Chaos at British Airports
August 11th, 2006 | by Dusk |
Apparently, the British police foiled a plot to blow up aircraft mid-flight between Britain and the United States, leaving all airports and airlines operating to British in chaos. Even those in Malaysia were affected, as the security will have to check all their bags and hand luggage. The police got a tip-off from someone that claim that some sort of liquid chemical will detonate on several planes from Britain to the United States.
“We are confident we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction,” said London police Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson. “Put simply, this was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale.”
While British police sources did not rule out an al-Qaeda link, they played down the idea of direct involvement by the global militant group. Unconfirmed media reports said anywhere from six to 10 airliners had been targeted in the plot.
The US Department of Homeland Security raised the threat level for passenger aircraft to “red,” its highest level, for the first time. US authorities banned liquids, including drinks, hair gels and lotions, from US commercial flights.
Britain’s security services upped the threat level in the country to “critical” from “severe,” the highest of its five ratings, which means “an attack is expected imminently.”
The British Airports Authority (BAA) said it had asked all European carriers to suspend flights to London’s main Heathrow airport, where tighter security measures caused severe delays.
British Airways said it had cancelled all short-haul flights to and from Heathrow yesterday, and some short-haul flights in and out of London’s second airport Gatwick.
According to BAA, 180,000 passengers pass through Heathrow each day during the peak summer period.
“It is being handled badly. There is no information anywhere,” said transit passenger Timo Haikonen, 57, on his way to a holiday in Chicago from Helsinki.
“I have got my computer and I have got liquor and I just heard five minutes ago I won’t be able to take them on. Where should I put them? No one has told me what has happened,” he said.
As passengers neared the front of a security check queue at Terminal Three, one of the main departure points for flights to the United States, an official told them: “No drink, no books, no chewing gum and no food,” without offering any explanation.
In the markets, news of the foiled plot sent crude oil prices down more than $2 a barrel yesterday, partly because of an expected decline in air traffic. One analyst told Dow Jones that jet fuel consumption could drop by up to 50,000 barrels a day, though others said the reaction in oil markets was overdone.
British Airways, arguably the best known airline in the world, could be particularly hurt by yesterday’s events, experts suggested. Only last week, the airline reported a 72-per-cent jump in first-quarter profit on strong demand for business-class seats, though it warned of higher fuel costs ahead.
In Malaysia:
KLIA general manager Azmi Murad said as a result of this stringent security screening, customers should report early for check-in at the airport to minimise flight delays.
Malaysia Airlines said passengers arriving in London for onward connections to their destinations could also expect more stringent security checks imposed by the British airport authority.
“With immediate effect, for flights out of Heathrow, a new cabin baggage security measure has been introduced by the British Department of Transport, which allows one plastic transparent carrier bag per passenger,” senior general manager communications Indira Nair said.
She also said that MAS flights to London would continue to operate as scheduled.
Source: TheStarOnline and various news sources
Planes grounded due to bomb threat.
A passanger getting bored waiting at Heahthrow Airport while another is just posing for the camera.
Make that 1000 bored and angry passangers.
Soldiers from Massachusetts National Guard
Banned items at Salt City International
Confiscated items
Passengers were being allowed to take only a limited list of items on board, ideally in a plastic bag, and nothing was being allowed on board in travellers’ pockets.
Apart from baby milk, which has to be tasted, liquids were being removed from passengers.
Passangers waiting to board flights