Ryanair has called on the UK Government to revise its heavy handed airport security measures some of which do not enhance securityIn some cases, according to Ryanair, these meassure disrupt the journeys of thousands of British passengers and visitors, and bringing the main London airports (which cannot cope with these requirements) to the point of collapse.

If the main UK airlines are forced to continue to cancel flights because the airports cannot meet these security requirements then the extremists will have succeeded.

Ryanair supports all sensible and effective security measures which protect the safety of the travelling public and the UK’s air transport industry, however the BAA are unable to carry out body searches on 100% of passengers who have just passed through security   x-ray machines and this level of body searches does not enhance security. If there is a threat to US flights or from specific extremist groups then this is where the extra security measures and the extra body searches should be targeted.

However body searching young children and family groups travelling on holidays, or the thousands of ordinary citizens travelling on UK domestic and European flights who are neither a security nor terrorist threat is unnecessary and ineffectual. By causing the widespread cancellation of flights and the breakdown of the main London airports these blunt security measures are handing the terrorists an enormous success. The UK government should revise this 100% body search requirement back to its normal 25% immediately. Body searching one in every four passengers (all of whom have just passed though security x-ray machines) still allows any suspect passengers or routes or groups to be targeted for security purposes. 

Speaking today in London, Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“The goal of these terrorists and extremists is not just to kill but also to disrupt the economic life of Britain. The UK Government, by insisting on these heavy handed security measures, is allowing the extremists to achieve many of their objectives. It is vital that the Government works with the UK airports and airlines to prevent the collapse of the London airports. We believe that the body search requirement can and should be revised from 100% to the normal 25% of passengers without in any way diminishing airport security. These numbers still allow any suspect groups or routes or individuals to be body searched. More importantly they will allow the main UK airports and the UK air transport system to return to normal which is the most important message we can send to these extremists.

“Britain must not be beaten by extremists. We must not be terrorised and we can not allow our economic life to be disrupted. The Government must act today otherwise these extremists will have succeeded by disrupting the economic life of Britain, its air transport industry and its citizens. We must not allow these terrorists to succeed”.
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