"Stowaway puts airport security in the spotlight"

Friday, May 18, 2007

'Is this the flight to Sri Lanka?'
Stowaway puts airport security in the spotlight
By Jean Christou
Cyprus - The Cyprus Mail


AIRPORT authorities met to discuss security yesterday after a Sri Lankan man
found his way onto a parked Cyprus Airways (CY) plane by wading through the
sea and scaling the airport's coastal fence.

The man, who is believed to have been illegally residing in Cyprus for the
past six years, did not have the money for a ticket to go home, and was
hoping to get lucky by boarding a plane at Larnaca.

Unfortunately the plane he chose was a CY flight due to depart to Athens,
which was on a turnaround from Milan around 7pm on Tuesday evening.

According to George Mavrocostas, CY's Operations Manager at Larnaca airport,
the plane was parked on the tarmac and was being examined by three mechanics
when the Sri Lankan approached.

"While they were working on the aircraft they saw the Sri Lankan man coming
towards the plane," he said. "They asked him what he was doing and he said
he wanted to go to Sri Lanka. 

They accompanied him on to the plane and sat him down, gave him some water
and rang the operations office who called the police."

The Sri Lankan man was arrested and is now awaiting deportation to his own
country.

The incident has highlighted security issues at Larnaca and a meeting was
held between Transport Minister Harris Thrassou, Justice Minster
Sophocleous, Civil Aviation and airport operators Hermes.

Civil Aviation Director Leondias Leonidou said there was no chance that the
Sri Lankan man, or anyone else could just board a parked plane at the
airport.

"What is important is we make sure the aircraft are closed and locked up
when they are parked," he said. "No one has access. You just don't enter an
airport and get on a plane."

A spokesman for Hermes said they were concerned about the incident but said
they were currently upgrading security around the fences.

Hermes is responsible for security facilities and the government for
manpower such as police patrols.
The spokesman said security was regularly discussed with Civil Aviation.

"All of the airport security fences are already compliant with the standards
of the ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Authority, which stipulates
that the fence must be 1.9 metres high," said the spokesman. 

"We are actually in the process of upgrading all security fences to more
stringent EU standards."

The spokesman said this included a 2.1m fence with barbed wire on the top.
"Nearly 80 per cent of the work is complete," the spokesman said, adding
that there had been no upgrades before Hermes took over a year ago. He said
it was still being determined how the Sri Lankan man got through or over the
fence. 

"All of the fences were inspected and there is no evidence of a breach
around them," the spokesman said.

Leonidou said Civil Aviation had previously pointed out the security gaps to
Hermes as far as the fencing was concerned. 
"But things are not done until they're done," he said. "There should not be
any gaps at any time in security."

Asked why the government had not previously upgraded the fencing to EU
standards as Cyprus has been a member for over three years and Hermes have
only recently taken over, Leonidou admitted the government had not done the
"best job" of running the airport. He also said they knew the consortium
would be taking over at some point. 

"But work has been done even though there are still some gaps. Nothing is
100 per cent infallible but there are two or three chains of command for
protection. At least one was working," he said referring to the Sri Lankan
being discovered before getting near the aircraft.

"It makes us worry on the one had but on the other there are no real
breaches of security," he said.

He also said at the moment there was a lot to keep and eye on, not just in
terms of passenger movement, but with the amount of workers that have been
taken on by Hermes in the construction and improvement of the airport. Most
of the police manpower was taken up monitoring these areas, Leonidou said. 

Civil Aviation had also broached the issue of extra manpower with the
government but he said "these things take time". 

Justice Minister Sophoclis Sophocleous told reporters that things happen
even at the safest airports in the world and that it was not the time to
make accusations against anyone. He said cooperation between all sides
concerned was excellent.

The Minister refused to comment when asked about a letter former police
chief Charalambos Koulentis had reportedly sent to airport authorities
outlining his concerns over certain gaps in security at the airport.

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