Major UK airlines are expressing growing frustration with the implementation of new security rules at the country's airports following last week's counter-terrorist operation.
British Airways (BA) CEO Willy Walsh went public with his criticisms of London airport operator BAA, accusing the private company of being "unable to provide a robust security search process and baggage operation".
The Daily Telegraph reports today that his comments sparked a furious row with BAA CEO Tony Douglas at Heathrow on Saturday evening. BAA reportedly emailed airlines at about the same time warning them that they could be kicked out of the airport if they did not comply with the latest rules.
Low-cost giant Ryanair yesterday directed its fire at the Government, saying the airports could not cope with the revised requirements and calling for a return to random body-searches rather than the 100% currently in force.
In a statement the airline says: "Ryanair, the UK's largest passenger airline, today called on the Government to revise its heavy-handed airport security measures, some of which do not enhance security but are disrupting the journeys of thousands of British passengers and visitors and bringing the main London airports - which cannot cope with these requirements - to the point of collapse.
"If the main UK airlines are forced to continue to cancel flights because the airports cannot meet these security requirements, then the extremists will have succeeded.
"Ryanair supports all sensible and effective security measures which protect the safety of the travelling public and the UK's air transport industry. However, the BAA are unable to carry out body searches on 100% of passengers who have just passed through security x-ray machines and this level of body searches does not enhance security. If there is a threat to US flights or from specific extremist groups, then this is where the extra security measures and the extra body searches should be targeted.
"However, body-searching young children and family groups travelling on holidays or the thousands of ordinary citizens travelling on UK domestic and European flights who are neither a security nor terrorist threat, is unnecessary and ineffectual. By causing the widespread cancellation of flights and the breakdown of the main London airports, these blunt security measures are handing the terrorists an enormous success.
"The UK Government should revise this 100% body-search requirement back to its normal 25% immediately. Body-searching one in every four passengers, all of whom have just passed though security x-ray machines, still allows any suspect passengers or routes or groups to be targeted for security purposes."
Ryanair rival Easyjet called on the Government to use Territorial Army reservists to help cope with the baggage-handling and and security checks.
Source: Flight International