Some aspects of aviation security are "completely redundant" and the United Kingdom show not bow to the Americans on the issue, the chairman of British Airways (BA) has said.
In comments reported in the Financial Times, Martin Broughton said people should not be forced to take off their shoes and have their laptops checked separately in security lines, and he called for an overhaul of airport security checks.
He said there was no need to “kowtow to the Americans every time they wanted something done”, especially when this involved checks the United States did not impose on its own domestic routes.
The United States stepped up security in January in the wake of an alleged bomb plot. It introduced tougher screening rules, including body pat-down searches and carry-on baggage checks, for passengers arriving from 14 nations which the authorities consider a security risk. Passengers from any foreign country also face random checks.
Mr Broughton said: "America does not do internally a lot of the things they demand that we do. We shouldn’t stand for that. We should say, ‘We’ll only do things which we consider to be essential and that you Americans also consider essential.
"We all know there’s quite a number of elements in the security programme which are completely redundant and they should be sorted out.”
Mr Broughton said: “Take the iPad, they still haven’t decided if it is a laptop or it isn’t a laptop. So some airports think you should take it out and some think you shouldn’t.”
The UK aviation industry today backed the views of Mr Broughton. Mike Carrivick, chief executive of BAR UK, which represents more than 80 scheduled airlines in the UK, said the whole question of airport security needed to be looked at.
“There seems to be a layered approach to security at airports. Every time there is a new security scare, an extra layer is added on to procedures," he said.
“We need to step back and have a look at the whole situation. Standards change fairly regularly, and this puts pressure on airports and airlines. We need to decide what we are trying to do and how best to do it.”
Colin Matthews, chief executive of airport operator BAA, whose company runs six UK airports including Heathrow, added: “What we do in security in Heathrow and other airports is defined by the authorities and it’s really one requirement laid on top of another. We could certainly do a better job for customers if we can rationalise them.
“There are some aspects which have been frustrating to everyone, but equally everyone understands we have to keep the passenger safe.”
Former security minister Lord West said airport checks were “onerous” and had gone too far.
Lord West said: “I think it definitely needs to be rationalised. We have had requirement on requirement laid on top of each other and certainly I need to be convinced about all these various layers.
PA