Lockerbie Air Disaster (Hansard, 21 February 1989)

§ Mr. Channon

On 15 and 16 February I attended a special ministerial meeting of the council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal. The meeting was the result of a joint United Kingdom and United States initiative, to discuss aviation security following the Lockerbie disaster.

The meeting was successful. It was attended by Ministers (in most cases the Transport Minister) from 12 member states of the 33-strong ICAO council, and by senior officials from seven other member states. Our immediate objectives were all achieved; they were:

(i) to register concern at the sabotage of PAN AM 103,
(ii) to call upon states to ensure that existing international security standards were being fully implemented,
(iii) to gain agreement to the strengthening of the ICAO security secretariat, and
(iv) to set in progress work in ICAO under an eight-point plan to establish tighter standards to counter sabotage.

My eight-point plan calls for international action on the following:

(i) New standards for the screening of checked passengers' baggage both at check-in and when transferred between flights;
(ii) A requirement that airline baggage reconciliation procedures should be 100 per cent. reliable.
(iii) New higher standards for screening cargo and mail, including that placed on flights by courier companies;
(iv) New higher standards for controlling access to sensitive areas at airports, including searches of people and vehicles entering these areas and searches of aircraft, particularly for high risk flights;
(v) A new approach to the carriage of items which cannot be searched, such as radios, computers and other electronic and electric equipment that cannot be easily opened;
(vi) A new drive to develop equipment for the reliable detection of explosives and explosive devices; those countries with the scientific and industrial capabilities should now redouble efforts to develop equipment in this field;
(vii) Continuing consideration of proposals for building security into the design of aircraft, such as inexpensive modifications to make it harder to hide a bomb and easier for security staff to search cabins, toilets and galleys;
(viii) The strengthening of the powers and organisation of ICAO to enable it to play a more active part in implementing these new standards; this would include developing the provision of training for administrators and managers; the provision of advice to states on the formulation of aviation security regulations; the setting up of an inspectorate for the systematic checking of standards at airports.

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A joint United Kingdom and United States resolution was unanimously agreed at the meeting. The resolution condemned the destruction of Pan American flight 103 on 21 December 1988 called upon states to intensify their efforts for the implementation of existing standards and set out a plan of action for ICAO embracing all the points in my eight-point plan.