Airlines safety

air passenger safety

 carriage of electronic devices could now face scrutiny, and India needs to take proactive steps to ensure air safety given its flawed security system

exploding pagers and walkie- talkies 

recent and startling incidents in West Asia of exploding pagers and walkie- talkies have had another effect. A question mark now hangs over the safety of flights. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights worldwide, the world pointed the finger at China.

 It is now obvious that Israel has escalated matters and its tactics may pose risks to aviation.

The VVIP loophole in India

In the 1970s and 1980s, hijacking

was the method used to settle political scores. It fizzled out slowly until the 9/11 tragedy. 

The security checks introduced took the pleasure out of flying. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came up with several safety standards to prevent another 9/11 event.

 mandatory security checks  exempted ?

1 world, except India, exempted only a limited number of dignitaries from the mandatory security checks. 

2 In 1989, in India, there were just five categories of persons exempt from security checks (even Union Cabinet ministers were not exempt; the Governors of States were added to the list later).

3  But India is the only country where individuals with very suspect  get VVIP status because of the illogical exemption granted by the government to please its political colleagues.

Pegasus spyware and pager blast 

The new Israeli-designed threat is going to be a major issue in India’s perforated safety shield. 

It is perforated as government agencies are alleged to have infiltrated the phones of several citizens, including those in the judiciary, with the repeated use of Pegasus spyware.

Some Air safety rules 

1 mobile phone in flight mode 

Those of us who have travelled by air will be aware of safety announcements requiring you to put your mobile phone in ‘flight mode’ before the aircraft moves out of the bay. 

The announcement to turn off flight mode is made only after landing. But there are many passengers who do not observe this rule ever in India. If this happened elsewhere, they could be arrested as it is a criminal offence.

2 The restriction on cellphones came into effect after an airline crash was identified to have been induced by an incoming signal to a live phone on board. 

.Since then, mobile phones have become more advanced and airliners now have built-in shields for the systems to prevent cell phone interference.

The issue of decompression

The latest threat, from West Asia

has the potential to mushroom into a major problem. The explosions that could be triggered in small electronic devices, as seen in Lebanon, may cause damage only to a few in the proximity of the device, due to the miniature size of the device. These explosions were obviously triggered by an implanted code.

Can Aircraft cabin blasts ???

1 But has anyone imagined the consequences if a few of these explosions in small devices are triggered in an aircraft cabin during flight at high altitude? They could start a cabin fire. 

2 A series of small explosions could damage the pressure bulkhead and the resultant decompression would require oxygen masks to be deployed for use by passengers. 

3 When there is a cabin fire and there is also oxygen, the result is a catastrophe and a catch-22 situation. 

4 If you use the oxygen, you are dead due to the fire. If you do not use the oxygen, you are brain dead. There is only a small window of time for one to become brain dead if you do not get your oxygen mask on immediately (see table).

europe and US seeing this blind eye 

what they think ? 

By turning a blind eye to the ‘battlefield’ activities of Israel, the western world is only causing irreparable damage to safe air travel. Does the West realise the consequences?

cheking of travellers but  electronic devices in the cabin 

There are many restrictions on checking in electronic devices in one’s baggage, but what happens to vulnerable electronic devices in the cabin that can now be a potential safety threat?

 

Will airlines now ban the carriage of these devices? 

ban the use of Wi-Fi 

Airlines will now have to ban the use of Wi-Fi on board so that no coded device can be triggered. One cannot prevent a determined terrorist from an innocent air traveller — 9/11 showed us what can happen.

self service of bag 

The ICAO safety manual makes it mandatory that hand baggage has to be carried on board by the passenger concerned only. In India, so-called VVIPs and even government officials have their bags brought on board by others.

Have a safety net 

After the incidents in Lebanon, one can expect enhanced security, worldwide, soon. In fact, all passengers flying from Beirut have now been banned from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies and this applies to checked and carry-on luggage and cargo. The airline industry will suffer until governments wake up to the dangerous path that Israel is treading.

Indian government has to take proactive steps such as 

• banning Wi-Fi 
• having signal shields in and around airport terminals. 
• After all, when 5G was being introduced, several safety steps were introduced before they were permitted in the vicinity of airports. Proactive action is what is required for air safety

source the hindu