Freight experts call for 'reasoned' bomb responses

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Wednesday, 03 November 2010

The British International Freight Association has urged authorities to avoid a knee-jerk reaction to the Yemen airfreight bombs.

Its director general Peter Quantrill said: "The issue requires attention to systems and procedures - though it must be stressed that there are already
well established, in depth and organised processes in place. It was a very serious issue but it would be wrong to suggest that airfreight is not
treated in the same way as passengers when it comes to security.

"The fact that the explosives were discovered after an intelligence tip off shows that the use of intelligence and good policing experience is one of
the most important aspects of this."

However, Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said: "It is good news that the combined intelligence
services have worked together effectively to foil the plot. But, as the eyes and ears on the front line, pilots' warnings about the whole security regime
need to be listened to."

Elsewhere, security analyst Chris Yates of Yates Consulting has warned against imposing immediate reactionary measures on the aviation industry,
instead calling for a "properly structured review".

Yates said adding extra layers of security on top of those that already exist did not necessarily work.