The UK government's independent security consultant Lord Carlile has raised the issue of general aviation aircraft being used as terrorist weapons. In a general report on all threats to security he cites "the potential use of light aircraft as vehicle bombs against places of public aggregation", saying that he knows it is of serious concern to police.
This is not the first time Carlile has raised the issue of GA and business aviation security against terrorism in his periodic reports, and he has added little in the latest report recently presented to the Home Office.
He says: "This is not founded on any particular intelligence, or on any operation as such. However, I know that some knowledgeable police officers and officials have ongoing concerns about the relative simplicity of terrorism conducted in this way, given the very large number of private aircraft and small airfields."
Carlile continues: "It is possible to purchase, from reputable international companies, piloted flying hours in sophisticated executive jets capable of high-speed travel from continent to continent. The risk of hijacking of such aircraft is a matter of potential concern."
He concedes, however, that there are "some well thought-out" policing policies involving pilots and airfield owners who understand the need for continual vigilance against potential threats.
In a government response to the Carlile report, the home secretary Jacqui Smith says: "The Department for Transport has noted your flagging of the potential for small aircraft to be used as vehicle bombs, and your observation that there is presently no intelligence to suggest this forms part of terrorist thinking."
Source: Flight International
