Bomb plants a blame game

Bangalore: The security breach at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), which allowed a crude bomb to travel onboard a Kingfisher Airlines aircraft from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram, has raised questions on whether the security apparatus at BIA is fool-proof, considering it ranks among the hyper-sensitive airports in India.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of security in airports, has squarely blamed the airline for the faux pas.
Kingfisher, on its part, has blamed the airport operators. CISF officials said the aircraft returned from Thiruvananthapuram Saturday night. Only the passenger cabin was cleaned, the cargo compartment of the aircraft was not cleaned, a CISF official said. “There could be a lapse from the airlines security crew. We are probing all angles.” Senior CISF officials said it is the duty of the airlines to screen the baggage that gets into the cargo hold and that the CISF ensures they screen the hand baggage manually at the departure lounge beforehand.
The cargo hold baggage undergoes an x-ray screening before it is loaded to the aircraft, said an official.
Both CISF and BIA who had a review meeting blamed the airline for the breach, saying the security norms at BIA is in compliance with regulations laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
22/03/10 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports Mar 2010, Kingfisher Mar 2010, Safety Mar 2010