Don't Fly with Me

In recent years a new and serious problem has arisen for international airlines and their passengers. This is the relatively new crime of hijacking. Once an unheard-of event, it has now become a common occurrence. The number of hijacks is increasing and the governments of the world are becoming more concerned about them.

Who are these hijackers? The first ones (about 20 years ago) were usually political refugees—individuals who simply wanted to leave their country and fly to another. For instance Cubans in America used the hijack technique to get themselves back to Cuba. After the plane had taken off, the hijacker would force his way into the pilot's cockpit and threaten him with a gun. This technique was often successful, because there is very little the pilot can do in these circumstances. If he refuses to do what the hijacker wants then there is a strong chance that the plane will crash and everyone on board will be killed.

However, more recently, there have been serious developments in hijackers. Present-day hijackers usually have other motives for taking over a plane. They do not want simply to fly to another destination; they want to use the aircraft and the passengers on board as bargaining points for their political beliefs. They tell the world governments that unless their demands are met, the plane will be blown up and all the passengers will be killed. These hijackers are often members of international terrorist organisations. They may want to change the system of government in their own country by using violence, or they may have hijacked a plane in order to try and force a government to release members of their organisation from prison.

There is not very much anyone can do once a hijacker is on board an aeroplane. He may be carrying a gun or hand grenades, which, if used, would cause a disaster. The only thing to do is try to ensure that these people never get on the plane in the first instance. So airlines all over the world have security procedures. Before any passenger can get on an airplane at the airport, he must go through a series of security checks to make sure he isn't carrying anything that is potentially dangerous or could be used as a weapon on board. The security measures vary from airport to airport. At some airports there is very little security. At other airports the security checks are very strict and it can take up to half-an-hour to get through them all.

Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong, China, has a good security system. No aircraft starting its journey from Hong Kong has ever been hijacked. At Kai Tak, when a passenger first checks in, his or her name is matched with the computer list of passengers booked on that particular flight. If the name is not recognised, the passenger will be taken aside and questioned by security guards and may not be allowed on the plane. Next, every suitcase is X-ray checked before it goes into the plane. Any suitcase that seems to have something dangerous in it is not put on the plane. Then the hand baggage which the passengers will carry on to the plane is checked. Each passenger has to open his or her bag and the security clerk examines the contents. Cameras may be opened, even babies taken out of their prams and carry-cots. If there is anything that could be used as a weapon, a penknife for example, the security staff take it away and keep it in a safe place on the plane until the flight is over. The passenger can then collect it.

Finally there is a body check of all passengers. They must pass through a door where X-rays will show if they are carrying anything made of metal, like a gun. If anything suspicious is found, they will be asked to explain. (At some other airports a security guard will "frisk" every passenger as well, by running his hands over the passenger's body to feel for guns and other weapons.) It is only after all these checks that a passenger is allowed to board the plane.