Germany to Weigh Security Upgrade at Frankfurt Airport

March 4, 2004

Germany to Weigh Security Upgrade at Frankfurt Airport
  
Ha'aretz, Israel
 
 
Israel and Germany have agreed to continue
investigating the possibility of reinforcing the
security system in the Frankfurt airport, following a
brief visit to the airport by the Transportation
Ministry's chief security officer, Danny Shinar. 
 
Shinar met Tuesday with the heads of German security
authorities in an attempt to solve a dispute regarding
what Israel considers to be security flaws in the
Frankfurt airport's terminal for Lufthansa and El Al
flights coming here.

Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during
a visit to El Al Wednesday that the dispute with
Germany will be resolved "within a few weeks." A
senior official involved in the issue said: "Shinar
raised a few problems. He received immediate answers
to some of them. The Germans promised to look into the
other problems and return to him with answers.
Altogether, the Transportation Ministry's security
chief appears to be satisfied with the visit."

Israel has complained about security flaws in the
terminal, specifically in the corridor 
leading to the passenger lounge, where Israel-bound
passengers mingle with passengers from other flights
after having passed an initial security check. German
security authorities have rejected the allegation of a
flawed system, saying the passengers undergo an
additional security check.

Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman of Lufthansa's executive
board, said the German airline does everything it can
to provide good security for flights headed to Israel.
He said Germany would fix anything that needs to be
fixed.

Lufthansa has indicated surprise at the timing of
Israel's comments on the security arrangements, which
come as a dispute rages over the number of seats on
Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Israel. Israel's
Civil Aviation Authority has ordered the German
airliner to reduce its capacity by 15 percent until
the end of March and by another 10 percent afterward.
At the beginning of last week, the High Court of
Justice issued a temporary injunction, at Lufthansa's
request, to halt the move.  

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