Airline group says governments should pay for marshals
 |
Story Tools
VIDEO
|
CNN's Kelli Arena reports on possible attacks by al Qaeda and related groups.
Britain's plan for marshals on some flights to the United States meets resistance.
CNN's Barbara Starr reports on the U.S. plan to order air marshals on some foreign carrier flights.
|
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
|
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.
Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
|
|
GENEVA, Switzerland (Reuters) -- The global airlines body IATA said Tuesday governments should foot the bill if they force national or foreign carriers flying in their airspace to have armed anti-hijack marshals on board.
The position was set out by a spokesman for IATA, the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association, after a U.S. announcement that non-U.S. airlines will have to put marshals on their planes if told to do so by Washington.
And a statement from IATA on its aims for 2004 affirmed that "sky marshals should be provided by the governments concerned."
The association, which represents over 90 percent of airlines operating international services, also insists that having armed guards on planes creates added danger and that security efforts should be focused on the ground.
"If there are to be marshals on aircraft, we believe that the governments should pay the costs, the governments who are requiring it," said senior IATA official Anthony Concil.
"Security is a government issue, and it is governments who should be footing the bill," Concil, Asia-Pacific director for communications, told Reuters in a telephone call from Bangkok.
He said IATA, which acts as a collective voice for its members who include many U.S. airlines, was not aiming specifically at the United States. which has been widely criticized over its latest move.
But European industry analysts said the implications were that the Bush administration should be ready to pay for the hire, the seats and any other related costs if it forces foreign companies to conform to the surprise measure.
Monday's announcement by the Department of Homeland Security said foreign airlines -- who daily operate hundreds of services into or across U.S. territory -- must have marshals on flights flagged by the Department as terror targets.
If they fail to obey, the planes involved could be turned back or refused landing.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has declined to say who would pay for the marshals, but he told an interviewer on Tuesday the United States could supply them if asked.
Monday, most airlines outside the United States left little doubt that although they did not like the measure they realized they had little choice but to go along with it or face being shut out of a major market.
The analysts said the carriers -- many struggling after four years of financial losses -- are keen to avoid further costs.
"As a temporary solution, the airlines will obviously comply if told there is danger to particular flights," Conlin said on Tuesday. "But there has to be a long-term solution and that has to be through better security on the ground."
Action should also be coordinated among governments, he added, echoing complaints from some countries that the marshals' move was another unilateral U.S. measure taken without proper consultation.
Copyright 2003
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
