Ryanair News

14.08.06

RYANAIR CALLS NEW UK SECURITY MEASURES NONSENSICAL AND INEFFECTIVE

THE GOVERNMENT MUST RETURN AIR TRANSPORT TO NORMAL

Ryanair, Britain’s largest passenger airline today (14th Aug) described the UK Government’s “revised” security measures as nonsensical and ineffective. These measures will not restore normality to the London airport. Delays and cancellations will continue while these measures are in place. Under the new measures:

1.  Twice the normal number of passengers passing through the x-ray security machines must now be body searched. If The Government wants to double the number of security checks, it must provide the extra staffing (army or police personnel) to allow the London airports to carry out these checks without causing mass delays and cancellations.
2.   Under the new measures a large brief case can now be carried on board as hand luggage, but not the normal carry on “wheelie bag” which is only 25% larger. What security “expert” decided that a large brief case was safe as hand luggage but the normal carry-on wheelie bag isn’t? This rule is a nonsense.
3.   From tomorrow airport security screening will be further delayed as security staff rummage through ladies’ handbags to remove moisturisers, hand creams, lip sticks and other liquids/gels. This will cause even greater queues at security, for the already hard pressed security staff. If this measure is for passenger safety and security why is it not being carried out on the London Underground and on Eurotunnel as well?

 Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO said,  

“The way to defeat terrorism is for the Government to show leadership and return air travel in Britain to normal. After the London underground bombings last July, the UK government led the return to the normalisation of travel on the London Underground within two days. Surely common sense would suggest that if the safety and security of British citizens is under threat why has the Government not banned luggage, liquids and gels on the London Underground or on the Eurotunnel?

“We call on the UK Government to return air travel to normal, to eliminate the queues, delays and cancellations at the London airports which will  prove to  extremists everywhere that Britain’s airports and airlines will not be disrupted or grounded by their futile attempts to undermine normal life. We can defeat these extremists if the Government shows the same leadership as it did after the 07/07 bombings by leading the return to normality of air travel though London’s airports.  Let’s keep Britain flying.”