FED: Air freight to face tighter security

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2009
FED: Air freight to face tighter security

By Peter Veness

CANBERRA, Dec 22 AAP - The freight industry will face a new cost for moving products
by air under the federal government's aviation white paper.

Hardened cockpit doors, introduced to passenger planes in the wake of September 11,
will have to be fitted to cargo aircraft by July 2014.

"The government believes it is important to ensure these aircraft are subject to appropriate
security measures proportionate to their capacity to inflict damage on a ground target,"

the white paper says.

Until now, only planes with 30 seats or more have been forced to have the secure doors.

That's not the only change air cargo is facing.

By 2010 all air cargo being flown to the US will have to be screened, something the
government is not completely supportive of.

"The government's preference is for a risk-based approach to air cargo security measures
that balances the threat level against the impost on export industries," the paper says.

Opposition transport spokesman Warren Truss has raised concerns about changes to airport
security contained in the paper.

Smaller regional airports where turbo-prop planes land will have to screen passengers
in the way bigger airports already do, also from 2014.

The requirement may eventually be extended to charter operations flying in and out
of mining communities because of the growing use of larger aircraft for closed charter
flights in the mining, oil and gas sectors.

"At least 14 airports currently served by QantasLink and possibly another eight airports
will need to be rebuilt or have security upgraded to meet the new criteria," Mr Truss
said in a statement.

He said the airports facing an upgrade were Bundaberg, Blackwater, Cloncurry, Devonport,
Emerald, Gladstone, Longreach, Port Lincoln, Tamworth, Weipa, Wagga Wagga, Barcaldine,
Blackall and Horn Island.

Mr Truss said the commonwealth should pay the full cost of upgrades.

Regional operators will be faced with a choice of using smaller aircraft on regional
routes or axing services altogether.

Other security changes flagged in the paper include tighter control on visitors' access
to secure sections of airports.

AAP pv/sb/jl

KEYWORD: AVIATION

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