Passenger Flies in with Two Knives

    Oct. 20, 2004
    Despite increased security with all airlines, a passenger managed to fly to Delhi from Paris with two eight-inch-long knives

    Source The Hindu via NewsEdge Corporation

    Despite the increased threat perception in all airlines following the 9/11 terrorist attack, a passenger of an Air France flight managed to fly all the way to Delhi from Paris with two eight-inch-long knives in her hand baggage.

    It was only when she reached here that the Central Industrial Security Force personnel detected the weapons in her hand baggage.

    The passenger, Garnier Chrystelms, reached the Indira Gandhi International Airport by an Air France flight, AF 148, at around 11 a.m. on Sunday.

    She was to further travel to Kathmandu by an Indian Airlines flight IC-813 during the day. However, during the pre-embarkation security check of the flight, the two knives were detected in her bag.

    During the questioning, the passenger revealed that during the pre-embarkation security check at Paris airport, the security personnel posted there had cleared her and allowed her to carry her hand baggage -- which contained the knives -- on the flight to Delhi.

    Subsequently, Ms Chrystelms and her co-passenger, Chene Therry, gave a written statement to the CISF in this regard. After that, both the knives were removed from her hand baggage and she was allowed to board the flight to Kathmandu.

    Incidentally, following the hijacking of the IC-814 flight from Kathmandu to Kandahar, the security checks on the sector have become stringent.

    The security agencies here have been on a high state of alert with respect to the threat posed by hijackings.

    The handing over of airport security to the CISF all over the country had only followed the hijacking episode.

    As per international standard issued by an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (India) circular (25/2003), knives are kept in the dangerous article category and not permitted to be carried on board either on person or in the hand baggage.

    Since knives or even replicas of any weapon are not to be carried on any airlines for further handing over to passengers at their destination, the passenger was not allowed to carry the knives with her to Kathmandu.

    The issue has also raised concern about security procedures being followed abroad as the September 11 attacks had shown how hijacked aircraft could be used as precise and potential missiles by terrorists.