UK: UK police continue investigation as airlines struggle to resume normal operations despite lower security threat level.
- 00:00:05
- ITN Source
UK: UK police continue investigation as airlines struggle to resume normal operations despite lower security threat level.
Airports were almost back to normal on Tuesday (August 15) but airline and the travel industry are still unhappy about the way the security crisis is being handled. Although there were still delays at Heathrow and Stansted, the situation at UK airports was much improved, with each passenger being able to check-in one small item of hand luggage. BA cancelled 21 short-haul, 16 domestic and four long-haul flights at Heathrow as well as 11 domestic services at Stansted. Budget airline Ryanair said only four out of 14 security points were manned at Stansted early Tuesday and said the "chaotic scenes" there showed there was "no foundation" in airport operator BAA claims that staffing was not a problem. Ryanair called for the army or police to be brought into support BAA staff and said "common sense" should be introduced to searching and baggage regulations. "I would love to get an explanation from Minister of Transport why is this bag safe to board an aircraft, but the slightly normal, wheel bag that most passengers would be aware of is not safe. This is crazy. This is the Keystone Cops of the aviation security that are allowing the terrorist to disrupt the air transport industry in UK and they are doing great damage to British aviation, to British air transport and to British economy," Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said, comparing the approved laptop bag with a regular wheeled hand luggage. His airline had seen a 10% drop in group bookings over the last couple of days as a result of the travel disruption. British Airways said BAA's advice about Tuesday's flights had come too late to prevent it having to axe 41 flights at Heathrow. BA also said that due to the disruption of the last few days, it was still trying to reunite 5,000 pieces of luggage with their owners. "I think it' simply just damaging them and in surprise is the best time of the year to make profits in mid-August and what you've seen is plane taking off 99 percentage full, suddenly you have got planes having to take off 70 percentage full because people are still in the queue," Peter Morris, airline analyst said. Later on Tuesday, British police arrested another person in connection with the bomb plot. The arrest takes the number of people being held to 24 - most of them British-born Muslims, mainly of Pakistani descent. Television report said recent police search has yielded a handgun and a rifle. Police are are also continuing to search woodland near High Wycombe. British television showed recent CCTV footage of suspect Tayib Rauf, who was arrested in Birmingham last week, entering a shop. Tayib is the brother of Rashid Rauf who is being held in custody in Pakistan. Pakistan police calls Rashid Rauf an al Qaeda operative and the plot's mastermind.
ITN Source | August 16, 2006
