Egypt plane crash prompts UN aviation safety review

The United Nations’ aviation agency says its panel of security experts will review ways to better protect airports from terrorism following concerns of lax security raised after a Russian plane was destroyed on October 31.

The International Civil Aviation Organization-led panel, which is to meet in March 2016, will emphasise airport security following the crash of a Metrojet airline in Egypt, ICAO Council President Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu told reporters this week.

“This will address aviation security issues, the existing standards and to see where there are gaps and to see where we need to develop additional guidance material to assist our member states,” Aliu said on the sidelines of a global aviation forum in Montreal.

“The security of our member states actually starts, in most cases, at the airport.”

While stressing that flying is safe, Aliu said ICAO is focusing on finding a balance between aviation security and the facilitation of air travel. The Montreal-based ICAO sets global safety standards for international flights and aviation security standards for 191 member countries.

Its security audits evaluate countries’ ability to oversee their airports, including how well they conform to those standards.

These audit results are confidential.

“Most of our members are living up to those standards,” Aliu said.

Aliu declined to comment on any new recommendations from ICAO in the wake of the destroyed plane, which had just departed from Sharm al-Sheikh airport.

“We have to wait for the results of the investigation,” Aliu said. “If there are specific recommendations that we need to pay attention to, then you can rest assured that we will take action.”

Russia has said the downing of the plane, which killed 224 people, was the result of a bomb, and the country’s security service has offered a $US50 million ($A69.57 million) bounty to track down the bombers.

European and US officials have raised concerns over security at the Sharm al-Sheikh airport, with Britain and France initially suspending flights to the tourist region in the wake of the crash.

Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International, said airports generally review their security procedures following such incidents. The industry is still waiting for the investigation’s results.

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