WASHINGTON/TAIPEI: New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all US-bound flights to comply with government requirements designed to avoid an in-cabin ban on laptops, airlines said.
Airlines contacted by Reuters said the new measures could include short security interviews with passengers at check-in or the boarding gate, sparking concerns over flight delays and extended processing time.
They will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the US, on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries.
The US announced the new rules in June to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.
Those restrictions were lifted in July, but the Trump administration said it could reimpose measures on a case by case basis if airlines and airports did not boost security.
European and US officials said at the time that airlines had 120 days to comply with the measures, including increased passenger screening. The 120-day deadline is Thursday. Airlines had until late July to expand explosive trace detection testing.
“We see this as a big issue for China Airlines,” Steve Chang, senior vice president of the Taiwanese firm told reporters on Wednesday, adding the airline was trying to consult with the American Institute in the country over the issue.
Korean Airlines, South Korea’s flagship carrier, also said it had a lot of concerns with the new measures.
“We are asking customers to show up at the airport early ... It’s just inconvenient for the passengers,” President and Chief Operating Officer Walter Cho told Reuters in Taipei.
Lufthansa Group said on Tuesday the measures would be in place by Thursday and travelers could face short interviews at check-in or at the gate.
Economy passengers on Lufthansa’s Swiss airline have been asked to check in at least 90 minutes before departure.
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said it would suspend in-town check-in and self bag-drop services for passengers booked on direct flights to the US. The airline said passengers would also have short security interviews and it has advised travelers to arrive three hours before departure.
Singapore Airlines Ltd. said the security checks could include inspections of personal electronic devices as well as security questioning during check-in and boarding.
Airlines for America, a US trade group, said the changes “are complex security measures” but praised US officials for giving airlines flexibility in meeting the new rules.
Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said the industry understoood security threats to aviation were made regularly but in this case the US government had not shared any specific dangers before changing the rules.
“What we have seen is very strange,” he told reporters in Taipei. “Unilateral measures announced without any prior consultation... That is something that is very concerning and disturbing.”
At their annual meeting in Taipei, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) members passed a resolution calling for security measures to be risk-based, outcome-focused and proportionate to the probable threat.
“Unilateral actions taken by individual goverments reacting to emerging threats may result in unneccessary disruption or lead to unintended safety consequences,” said the members.
AAPA includes most large Asian airlines but not mainland Chinese carriers.
“The risk is other countries make similar demands,” AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said.
US authorities in June also increased security around aircraft and in passenger areas, and other places where travelers can be cleared by US officials before they depart.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokeswoman declined to discuss the specific changes but said “the United States continues to work with our partners to raise the baseline of global aviation security and keep the entire traveling public safe.”
The TSA said in July it was imposing new security rules requiring US domestic airline travelers to remove all electronic items larger than mobile phones such as tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening.
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Airlines get ready for new US security rules from Thursday
Airlines get ready for new US security rules from Thursday
Australian police probe threatening letter to country’s largest mosque ahead of Ramadan
- The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV
SYDNEY: Australian police said on Thursday they had launched an investigation after a threatening letter was sent to the country’s largest mosque, the third such incident in the lead-up to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The letter sent to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west on Wednesday contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the “Muslim race,” local media reported. Police said they had taken the letter for forensic testing, and would continue to patrol religious sites including the mosque, as well as community events.
The latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire. Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old man in connection with a third threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque’s staff in January.
The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV cameras.
Some 5,000 people are expected to attend the mosque each night during Ramadan. More than 60 percent of residents in the suburb of Lakemba identify as Muslim, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the recent string of threats.
“It is outrageous that people just going about commemorating their faith, particularly during the holy month for Muslims of Ramadan, are subject to this sort of intimidation,” he told ABC radio.
“I have said repeatedly we need to turn down the temperature of political discourse in this country, and we certainly need to do that.” Anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in Australia since the war in Gaza War in late 2023, according to a recent report commissioned by the government.
The Islamophobia Register Australia has also documented a 740 percent rise in reports following the Bondi mass shooting on December 14, where authorities allege two gunmen inspired by Islamic State killed 15 people attending a Jewish holiday celebration.
The letter sent to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney’s west on Wednesday contained a drawing of a pig and a threat to kill the “Muslim race,” local media reported. Police said they had taken the letter for forensic testing, and would continue to patrol religious sites including the mosque, as well as community events.
The latest letter comes weeks after a similar message was mailed to the mosque, depicting Muslim people inside a mosque on fire. Police have also arrested and charged a 70-year-old man in connection with a third threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque’s staff in January.
The Lebanese Muslim Association, which runs the mosque, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) it had written to the government to request more funding for additional security guards and CCTV cameras.
Some 5,000 people are expected to attend the mosque each night during Ramadan. More than 60 percent of residents in the suburb of Lakemba identify as Muslim, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the recent string of threats.
“It is outrageous that people just going about commemorating their faith, particularly during the holy month for Muslims of Ramadan, are subject to this sort of intimidation,” he told ABC radio.
“I have said repeatedly we need to turn down the temperature of political discourse in this country, and we certainly need to do that.” Anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in Australia since the war in Gaza War in late 2023, according to a recent report commissioned by the government.
The Islamophobia Register Australia has also documented a 740 percent rise in reports following the Bondi mass shooting on December 14, where authorities allege two gunmen inspired by Islamic State killed 15 people attending a Jewish holiday celebration.
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