Terrorist outrage sparks 'radical changes' to airport security plans

International airport security throughout mainland Europe is to be "tightened considerably" following the catastrophic terrorist hijacking of US internal flights and subsequent destruction of New York's World Trade Centre and part of The Pentagon.

The savage attack by Islamic fundamentalists on Tuesday 11 September left America's financial heartland in ruins and resulted in over 5,000 deaths – at the same time calling into question the Super Power's lax security provisions.

In the wake of the atrocity, the European Council of Ministers for Transport held an emergency debating session at which agreement was reached on reviewing and implementing "all the key measures in Document 30 of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)."

The ECAC is the continental civil aviation policy development body for Europe, encompassing 38 member Governments. Document 30 includes recommendations on the use and checking of machine-readable travel documents, the vetting and appointment of accident investigation experts, information distribution and communication procedures within the aviation industry and the treatment of inadmissible persons and deportees.

The agreement reached to enforce the ECAC's recommendations throughout the EU means that they are "highly likely" to become European law – making them compulsory among EU member states as well as Norway and Iceland.

A communication from the European Council to SMT added that ministers are planning to:

reinforce co-operation with the USA and other International Civil Aviation Organisation members to contribute towards greater security;

ask the European Commission to set up an ad hoc multi-disciplinary group – to be chaired jointly by the Commission – that will "examine co-ordination and co-operation needs within the EU with the aim of guaranteeing the consistent introduction of tighter security measures".

The next meeting of the Council takes place on 15 October. Plans will be put in place for a special ministerial conference on civil aviation security in the face of terrorist threats that could "define and confirm political aims in this area".

Officials at the European Commission have confirmed that the terror attack on America is also expected to speed up political agreement on the creation of a new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Both the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers have accepted – in principle – that such a body should be set up.

Just days prior to the US attack by suspected Islamic extremists, MEPs extended the proposed legislation to include the setting up of a new independent authority similar to the US' own National Transportation Safety Board that would subsequently investigate aircraft accidents and make security recommendations.

Other changes made by MEPs have included a demand that crash investigation results be released to EU authorities "as a matter of urgency" – linking this demand specifically to last year's Concord disaster in France. They have also called on the European Commission to submit proposals (by the end of 2002) on safer aircraft operation and air transport management – initially left out of the EASA legislation.

Agreement with EU transport ministers will be needed before any proposals can become law.