Bomb on Kingfisher flight bares gaping security loophole

A low-intensity explosive, shaped like a cricket ball, found in a cargo compartment of Kingfisher flight IT-4731 from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday has brought airport security in the country under serious scrutiny.

While the crude bomb did not cause loss to life and property — the plane was carrying 27 passengers — it refreshed the scary memories of the December 2009 bombing bid by a Nigerian on a Los Angeles-Detroit flight of North-west Airlines.

What is raising eyebrows is that the bomb travelled all the way to Thiruvananthapuram despite the in-line baggage screening system at the Bangalore airport, the presence of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to screen cabin luggage, and the airline’s own security checks before take-off.

Mumbai and Delhi airports have a similar system in place.

“If the bomb was found near the galley then either a passenger was carrying it in his hand bag and put it there or an airline staff (catering staff, cleaners) might be responsible,” says captain Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation expert. If a passenger brought it on board, then the pivotal question is did the CISF at Bangalore airport check his/her cabin bag properly?

Industry experts put the blame squarely on the vast number of passengers who come under the ‘exempt list’. “According to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules, passengers who come under this list are exempted only from frisking and not baggage screening. But in India, the VVIPs and their relatives enjoy this ‘exempted’ status and get away with frisking and baggage screening,” says Ranganathan.

Moreover, each passenger has to carry his own cabin luggage. But for VVIPs and even industrialists, the airline staffers do the service. “Since there is no accountability and transparency in the aviation security system, you only have to depend on your horoscope,” Ranganathan says. In this scenario, such situations will recur even if we deploy latest security systems and technologies at the airport, experts say.

Meanwhile, the authorities in charge of security are busy passing the buck. “The bomb was found near the checked-in luggage which is screened by the airline,” says a CISF official from Bangalore. However, sources say it was in the galley. And as BIAL has an in-line baggage screening system, the screening is done by the airport operator.

“If the ball was in the checked-in baggage, the system which uses laser technology to detect explosives would have given coloured images prompting the screener to send the bag for more stringent checks,” says an airport source.

When contacted, the spokesperson for Kingfisher airline confirmed the incident. “After all the guests on board had de-planed, a routine security check was carried out. During this check, an unclaimed package was found.  The matter was immediately reported to the authorities who removed the package and as a precautionary measure, the aircraft was checked by the security agencies,” he said.