7 nov 2015

http://www.timesofisrael.com/

US boosts security at Mideast airports, Russia suspends Egypt air travel The US Department of Homeland Security announced new security measures on Friday at some foreign airports for flights into the US, and Russia suspended all air travel to Egypt, amid mounting intelligence that a bomb brought down the Russian passenger plane that crashed last Saturday in the Sinai, killing all 224 people aboard.

A day earlier, the United Kingdom suspended all flights over the restive Sinai Peninsula, following French carrier Air France and Germany’s Lufthansa, both of which banned flights to the area last week.

The Islamic State terror group in Egypt, also known as Wilayat Sinai, has claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane, claiming that it was an act of retribution for Russian air strikes against the group in Syria.

The White House said the US would ask for increased security for less than 10 airports, all in the Middle East,according to a Reuters report.

White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, said the new measures were a “prudent response” to the incident.

An investigation into the crash has been ongoing, with Egypt and Russia initially dismissing the Islamic State’s claims of responsibility.

But US and UK officials, including President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron have said that there were strong indications an explosive device brought down the aircraft.

Sources close to the probe said Friday that an analysis of black boxes from the plane which took off from Sharm el-Sheik en route to St.Peteresburg pointed to a “violent end” in the form of bomb attack.

The flight data and voice recorders showed “everything was normal” until both failed at 24 minutes after takeoff, pointing to “a very sudden explosive decompression,” one source said.

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The data “strongly favors” the theory a bomb on board had brought down the plane, he added.

Another source said the plane had gone down suddenly and violently.

The Times newspaper reported Friday that electronic communications intercepted by British and US intelligence suggested a bomb may have been carried onto the plane.

Satellites uncovered chatter between militants in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Syria, it said.

“The tone and content of the messages convinced analysts that a bomb had been carried on board by a passenger or a member of the airport ground staff,” the newspaper reported, without giving a source.

Meanwhile, British airlines were scrambling to evacuate passengers in Sharm el-Sheikh after cancelling flights to the Red Sea resort from which the doomed Airbus had taken off Saturday.

One of the black boxes recovered from the crash site showed that the plane suffered “a violent, sudden” end, a source close to the case in Paris told AFP. The flight data recorder showed that “everything was normal during the flight, absolutely normal, and suddenly there was nothing.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered flights halted on the recommendation of his security chief, the Kremlin said, although Moscow had previously downplayed reports that a bomb caused the crash.

At an emergency meeting, the head of Russia’s FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, said it would be prudent to halt flights for now.

“Until we have determined the true reasons for what happened, I consider it expedient to stop flights by Russian aviation to Egypt,” he said.

According to Reuters, which cites the Russian Travel Industry Union, there are an estimated 50,000 Russian tourists currently in Egypt.

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With international concerns mounting, European airlines prepared to bring home thousands of tourists from the Red Sea resort, which has been a jewel in Egypt’s tourism crown.

A first flight landed at London’s Gatwick airport Friday afternoon, after a lengthy delay to its departure. Another plane was also headed for Britain.

There were angry scenes at the airport as thousands of anxious Britons, who had also hoped to fly home, were sent back to their hotels after Egypt blocked several other repatriation flights.

British Ambassador John Casson was heckled as he announced the news.

Egyptian Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said only eight of 29 flights would take off because the airport could not cope with all the luggage left behind.

In a sign of mounting fears about the security of baggage handling in Egypt, Dutch carrier KLM announced that it had banned checkin luggage on an early flight from Cairo, mirroring moves taken by several European airlines.

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http://www.hstoday.us/

Aviation Security: Next Steps After Crash Of Metrojet Flight 9268 The recent announcement by US and UK intelligence agencies strongly suggesting last week's Russian passenger jet crash was the result of a bomb somewhere onboard the aircraft has already generated endless hours of media discussion, as well as calls by experts to establish greater scrutiny of the aviation security environment, with accusations that the current system is notably vulnerable.

Events of this nature demand commentary, responsible analysis, and useful— not speculative— responses.

Outrage by those with little knowledge of the global aviation security system and its complexities, finger pointing and critiques regarding the functionality of that network of operations should not lead us to jump to conclusions, and begin summarily revising and reshaping our security practices.

So, what should be the next step following this tragic incident?

Realistically, the next step is to permit the investigation to take its course and enable investigators to gather as many facts as possible. The news that a British team will review the security posture at the airport at Shaim El Sheik is a positive move, and I would venture to suggest it should be welcomed by the Egyptian government. These findings will provide insights into system vulnerabilities, especially if speculation that the crash was a result of an onboard explosive device is validated. The results will, and should, be used to mitigate future threats of this nature.

It is equally important to remember that significant changes do not happen overnight, but rather over the course of time. Yet, let us be clear, changes “do occur” in our aviation security system through careful analysis of a sophisticated security apparatus. The aviation security system has evolved over the course of decades, and to prevent another such catastrophic incident, it must continue to evolve as the threat evolves.

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Significant technology developments have mitigated threats, whether in cargo bins or checked and carry-on luggage. The International Civil Aviation Organization has made notable changes to security standards and practices. Individual nations and groups of nations have also instituted policies and practices that have reshaped security in the aviation community.

The threat as we know it today continues to morph in reaction to existing security practices and procedures, as well as developing technology. Terrorist groups upgrade their explosives techniques and tradecraft to defeat advances in technology. However, they remain focused on the weakest link in the aviation security system – the “human factor.”

If ISIS truly was behind this incident, it will add a new twist to the threat everyone, including the United States, will need to look at under a new set of lenses. ISIS’s ability to “radicalize” has added a new dimension to the insider threat faced by the aviation community.

Airports are like small cities with thousands of employees working in large areas. If ISIS used an insider to bypass security and plant a device on the airliner, it will be important to take a very hard look at how the aviation community responds to the issue of an insider threat.

Success in mitigating the insider threat presents enormous challenges around the world. Better employee vetting, including perpetual vetting against existing terrorist and criminal lists, staff screening, unpredictable random inspections at airports and stronger quality assurance programs aimed at the insider, are just a few initiatives that could more effectively mitigate this known threat.

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(3) Unfortunately, the vulnerability is not new. I have every expectation terrorists will continue to exploit it. Security professionals understand it is impossible to blanket a system as vast as the global aviation system 24/7, yet, it is possible to mitigate the threat through evolving technologies, policies and standards, better quality assurance of the existing security system and enhanced mitigation of the insider threat.

Whatever the results of the investigation yield, let it take its course before there is a reaction against a system which protects millions of people a day around the world. If this is an insider-based threat conducted by ISIS, then steps must to be taken to strengthen the response.

John Halinski is a former Deputy Administrator for the Transportation Security Administration.

http://www.businessinsider. com/

Lufthansa cancels hundreds of flights after cabin crew members walk off the job German airline Lufthansa canceled hundreds of flights on Friday and warned of more disruption on Saturday after a cabin crew union started a series of walkouts that could become the longest ever strike at the carrier.

On the first day of a planned week of protest over failed pension talks, flight attendants were instructed to strike at Frankfurt, Lufthansa's biggest hub, and Duesseldorf between 1:00 PM and 10:00 PM GMT, affecting about 37,500 passengers.

That will be followed by walkouts on short-haul flights from Frankfurt and all flights from Duesseldorf between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM GMT on Saturday, the UFO union announced.

According to Lufthansa, that will result in about 520 short-haul flights being canceled that day, affecting 58,000 passengers.

For Friday, Lufthansa said it had canceled 290 planned flights including 15 long-haul departures, which are typically more profitable for carriers. Eight long-haul flights will still take off, it said.

The walkout comes after Lufthansa and the union failed to reach an agreement in a long-running row over early retirement benefits and pensions.

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Lufthansa is trying to negotiate with various staff groups to bring down pension costs as part of a savings drive to allow it to compete better with low-cost rivals and wealthy Gulf carriers.

Should Lufthansa management not make concessions, the union will carry out a threat to stage more walkouts until Nov. 13, it said.

Equinet analyst Jochen Rothenbacher said strike costs could total 20 million euros ($21 million) a day, depending on the number of cancellations, giving a total of around 140 million euros should the union strike on seven days, as threatened.

Strikes by pilots have already cost Lufthansa 130 million euros so far this year.

Lufthansa shares were up almost three percent on Friday, nearly recovering from Thursday, when they closed down 4 percent after the union confirmed it would strike.

Lufthansa's other main hub in Munich will not be subject to walkouts until after Sunday, given school holidays in that region of southern Germany.

Lufthansa Group airlines Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Germanwings, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti and Cityline will not be affected by the strike. That means that overall, the airlines group can operate 90 percent of the 3,000 flights it typically runs on a Friday.

(Editing by Keith Weir and David Clarke)

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http://m.atwonline.com/

IATA: Global air freight market improved marginally in September World air freight volumes grew marginally in September, rising 1% yearover-year, according to IATA’s Air Freight Market Analysis. While a modest uptick over August, “the global trend is fragile, and the improvement is narrowly based,” IATA DG and CEO Tony Tyler said, noting that trade and business confidence remain weak in key regions.

Year-to-date, the global air freight market has improved 2.4% over thesame period in 2014.

Tyler said a “2.8% growth reported by European carriers reflects positive trends in trade with Central and Eastern European economies as well as a general improvement in [eurozone] manufacturing, but the largest air cargo region, Asia-Pacific, was only just in positive territory [0.3% growth year-over-year], held down by weak regional trade.”

Air freight volumes in the Middle East were up 7.5% year-over-year (YOY), a fall-off from the region’s 10.5% YOY August performance.

Europe’s 2.8% YOY growth was indeed an improvement on its 0.7% YOY growth for August, “a performance [that] looks more impressive considering that volumes for the year to date have been flat,” IATA said.

Cargo volume in Africa rose 2.5% YOY for the month, as regional trade “has held up and generated increases in air freight volumes,” IATA said.

However, freight volumes in North America were down 3.3% YOY for the month and Latin American carriers saw a 6.4% YOY fall as “worsening economic and political conditions in Brazil have led to regional trade activity falling 7% between July and August,” IATA said.

“The weakness in air cargo markets largely tracks anemic growth in trade,” IATA said in its bottom-line analysis. “Trade is the path to prosperity,” Tyler said. “We have high hopes that the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] will deliver its promised benefits to participating economies with air transport—cargo and passenger—playing its role as one of the catalysts for growth.”

‫ادارة العالقات العامة ‪ -‬الشركة القابضة‬ ‫لمصر للطيران‬