Too expensive to delay Air India flight, witness to testify

A witness at the Air India inquiry is expected to testify Wednesday that airline officials said it would cost too much to delay the takeoff of Flight 182 in order to check the bags, CBC News has learned.
The flight had been cleared for takeoff from Mirabel airport in Montreal in June 1985 even though the baggage screening system at Toronto's Pearson airport had broken down and a bomb-sniffing dog and his handler were still on their way.
Flight 182 stopped in Montreal after leaving Toronto, en route to London's Heathrow Airport and then India. The explosives — allegedly planted by Sikh extremists in luggage that was loaded in Vancouver — exploded off the west coast of Ireland and killed 329 people on board, mostly Canadians.
No RCMP bomb-sniffing dog was on duty at Toronto's airport because all of the force's dogs and their handlers were at a course, the inquiry heard Tuesday.
No hand searches were conducted. In addition, an X-ray machine broke down and Burns Security, the firm hired by Air India to screen its baggage, had to resort to an electronic sniffer that had failed its initial explosives-detection test.
Three suspicious suitcases had been pulled aside during pre-flight screening. But they turned out to be harmless.
CBC News has learned that Daniel Lalonde, a former Burns Security guard at Mirabel, is expected to testify that holding the plane in Montreal was considered — but that Air India's representative said it would cost too much.
Gary Clarke, a former RCMP airport security chief, testified Tuesday that there was no doubt the threat level at that time was high.
16/05/07 CBC British Columbia, Canada

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Categories: Air India May 2007, Foreign May 2007, Safety May 2007