Darling to meet Balpa
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling meets pilots’ union, Balpa, today in what is likely to be a frosty confrontation over the use of armed “sky marshals.”
The meeting comes after transatlantic carrier Thomas Cook, which flies 40 flights a week into US airspace, said it would ground any flights with sky marshals on board.
Balpa insists there is an increased risk that having weapons on board may result in more fatal injuries for both pilots and passengers.
Mr Darling had to deny claims yesterday that the cancellation of a Washington-bound British Airways flight from Heathrow was undertaken to force the airline into accepting sky marshals on some of its planes.
He dismissed the claim as “complete rubbish.”
Mr Darling also said it was untrue that the Government and the flag carrier were at odds over sky marshals.
Mr Darling said: “Tomorrow I shall be meeting BAPA (Balpa) to discuss sky marshals, cancellations and a whole range of related security issues.
“I fear that for many years to come we are going to be living in an age where there is going to be a heightened state of alert.
“British Airways has decided that its flight 263 to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh will take off this afternoon. Meanwhile the United States have tightened security regulations on foreign visitors with visas who will now have to have their photographs taken and fingerprints checked.”
Jim McAuslan, the general secretary of Balpa, said he was in dialogue with BA on what to do should the Government insist on the deployment of sky marshals on select flights.
Ahead of the meeting with Mr Darling, he said: “We shall spell out why putting armed guards on aircraft rather than stopping armed terrorists on the ground is far from a universal solution.
“It was, after all, not the absence of sky marshals that caused the tragedy of the twin towers but the sloppy security checks on the ground.
He added: “We seek reassurances about the weapons to be used and the training given, we want to know that the government will insure the lives of flight crew and cabin crew when armed guards are put on board, and we want a written protocol on when and how armed guards should be deployed.”
Dennis Dolan, president of the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (Ifalpa) last night said he supported Balpa’s stance.
He told the BBC: “Our concerns about sky marshals are exactly the same as the BALPA concerns.
“That is that while we have policies that permit sky marshals on aircraft, we have to have the proper protocols in place to assure that a mission as serious as this is properly addressed. I represent all the pilots in the International Federation, so I am giving the international view on this.’
“The British pilots are entitled to the same types of protocols so that the mission is carried out successfully and safely and it enhances security rather than being a detriment.”
He added: “I think it is absolutely the case that the US has rushed into this and I do not agree with the way that they have implemented it. There is more to this than just the politics. There are a number of procedures that need to be followed.”
